Dysfunction Junction
by Lione 'Tabuukilla' Fortuna
Summary: It's a miracle, sometimes, how IS Academy stays standing when it's full of such eccentric characters. In order to keep such eccentrics, and also those suffering the normal pains of academic stress, homesickness, and school life in general under control, a specialist is needed. Enter the new hire for the school's psychologist... who intends to survive this dysfunction junction!
1. Chapter 1

**First, I would like to say that this is not a serious project. This is more of a "lol I have no idea how this came to be but I decided to roll with it and ended up writing a few chapters because the idea made me laugh so much". No matter how serious the protag is, uh, yeah. No, this project… I dunno how much thought I really put into it, but it did pass my usual standards I have for writing, it's just that I didn't like, you know, make drafts and plans for this project is what I meant. It's, um, well you'll see if you give it a read.**

 **Lemme just say that this probably isn't like other Infinite Stratos fics that I've posted before. Usually my stories have an OC who kicks ass, takes names, and is a real badass. Not this one. This is… just a normal guy, to be honest. A normal guy who works a job in the Infinite Stratos world… at IS Academy, anyways, but he's nothing special. Like, legit.**

 **Which is why this project amused me so much. There's so many fanfics about wild adventures that characters have, so I thought it'd be cool just to write a work-com, something that I usually never write or would consider writing and try my hand at it.**

 **So, here goes.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:** Hiring

* * *

"I'm surprised you took the post."

I lean back in the suspiciously comfortable red velvet recliner chair, facing the director of IS Academy. "Well sir, a colleague of mine recommended me for position, you offered the job—coming all the way to America and actually hosting an interview with me at that—and it's a lot better than my current job, and well I have decided to rise to the challenge."

The older man chuckles. "Ah, I see, I see. I must ask though, what of the rumors you've heard? I am not so naïve as to believe you haven't heard of the… rather unpleasant rumors about working at IS Academy."

"Oh believe me, I've heard about the rumors about being posted there. I understand your asking, but you do me a minor offense by not anticipating my knowledge of a position. And of course, the rumors are fairly standard throughout the community. Ah, what was it… the previous therapist and psychologist there, uh, what was his name… Kyle Weiss? Ah yes, I actually visited him a week ago in rehab. He seems like he's doing better." I say with a dismissive hand wave. "Worry not, I don't intend to be anything but fully prepared for the position."

"Are you sure about this? Overconfidence is a major weakness."

"I am not overconfident. I am well aware that I may end up like many others, but trust me when I say I shall do my best to see a class through. It is not confidence, but a personal endeavor. No posted therapist and psychologist, male or female, has made it through a full three years. Considering I'll be coming in just when the next class is beginning, I intend to see them graduate."

"Hm. We'll see, I suppose. I haven't met anyone with such enthusiasm for the post."

"Heh. However, I will be working in conjunction with the school _psychiatrist_ , correct? I have taken a few courses in psychopharmacology, but I'm not a medical doctor yet. I was planning on expanding so I may have knowledge in more fields, but…"

"Ah, yes of course. You'll be introduced to her when you arrive."

"Thank you. I didn't mean to offend, I just wished to know that we both knew what job I was taking. I can prescribe a few medications, but not to the extent my more medically trained friends can."

"Hm, if you are taking the job…will three weeks be enough to get all your belongings and affairs in order? I'll have a ticket sent to you for your flight then."

"That should be more than enough."

"Then," he says, standing up and putting out a hand. "On behalf of IS Academy, I look forward to you joining our staff, Shino Galen."

"As do I, Kutsuwagi Juuzou." I say, taking his hand and shaking it. "As do I."

* * *

 _"Still can't believe you took the post."_

"You say that every time we talk now, but I still think it's a nice change of pace. An actual challenge too, for my work. Not to mention that many of the more prominent members of my field believed in my ability. Or so they said at the last conference I attended."

 _"Yeah, or they're waiting to off you so they can take your old job."_

"Heh."

 _"What's the record for that place anyways? I never actually asked."_ My old friend, Ralph, asks as I make sure all the tags are on my suitcases.

"Uh, four months. Last guy to have it… went to become a monk, if I remember correctly." I say off-handedly while looking at my watch. "Like I said, I intend to shatter that record."

 _"I can think of a few other things that'll be shattered too, if you know what I mean."_

"Buzz off."

 _"No, no. I suppose it is a_ change of pace _, after all. Twenty five, one of the top in your field, going to be surrounded by_ plenty _of young woman as compared to the middle aged ones at your office…"_

"Most of which are under the age of eighteen, mind you. I intend to stay on the good side of the law." I grumble while throwing a few DVDs in the microwave and frying them before shattering them and tossing the remains into another garbage bag.

 _"Isn't the age of consent different over there? Besides, I never mentioned that. I was talking about your balls for when you inevitably piss someone off."_

"Already invested in a cup in case some crazy shit goes down. Besides, I've known that since college. God knows that Alicia was a hell of a sadist when drunk and horny. Which was pretty often, considering how much she complained about writing papers."

 _"Heh. She's gonna be a little disappointed, you know?"_

"I told you, we already split up a long time ago. It was college, and all that." I say, throwing a few choice magazines into the shredder. "We both split up professionally when we entered our professional fields and didn't really have enough of a spark to try to keep our relationship going."

Long story short, Alicia, Ralph, and I were all friends since high school and then all went to college together. I majored in Psychology, Alicia took Physics, and Ralph in Computer Science. Alicia and I went out in our junior and senior year, but when we each began to take on graduate level courses and work, realized it was going to be rough to stay together and as we started seeing each other less and less, called it off professionally before our friendship would be ruined.

 _"You two still talk, right?"_

"When we've both got some time, a phone call that goes for about an hour or so. Catch up on what's been going on. Oh, I did meet her in person at the convention out all the way in Pittsburgh about two months ago, when our two meetings happened to be in the same area. Still pretty stunning in a suit. Also, she tell you about the time she shut down that group of girls who were ringing all up about IS-female-supremacy?"

 _"Oh yeah, she sounded way too sadistic about it if you ask me."_

"Heh, I'll bet. Anyways, my cab's going to be here in about an hour and I'm going to have a final chat with my landlord."

 _"Alright. Don't be a stranger, man._ "

"Eh, I've got international coverage. Might be a bitch to pay for, but my new pay grade's to the point it doesn't dent much."

 _"Heh. Call soon, man."_

With that, I hang up and tuck the smartphone into my pocket.

"You know, you didn't need to get rid of those." My landlord Madeline Bowes, a middle-aged (roughly fifty one, last I checked) woman, says as I put the remains of my… ahem, _collection_ away. "It would've been funny to leave around the house. Especially since my daughter is in her senior year and is getting kind of curious."

"That is legitimately unsettling. Besides, I'd rather not have you be able to implicate me as the owner of such a collection." I reply. "By the way, you can keep the rent I paid for the next few months. Get yourself something nice with it."

After having me here for so long, the two of us are more like close friends. In addition, I've seen her daughter through some of her high school years, as I arrived just before her freshman year, where we became fast friends after I began tutoring her. She's not home right now, being at school, but I can assure you that she's quite the respectable young lady. Her mother was a rather conservative person and is still working, having none of that IS business. "Bad for business and sales", she says.

"Maybe I'll replace it. Write your name in all of them."

"Well, it's your money now, isn't it? Although I'd like to request that you don't do anything that jeopardizes your daughter's rather idolized image of me."

"Hehehe, well the age of—"

"I also happen to have my lawyer on speed dial."

"Tuttut, you're no fun. You won't survive at that Academy without a sense of humor."

"I wasn't hired to have fun, I was hired for a job. Although I suppose that seeing your daughter grow up and being her sounding board at times has given me plenty of experience. And… Thank you, Madeline. You've put up with me for several years now."

She waves a hand. "Oh no, no. Despite that, you've been a rather good tenant. I haven't had any problems with you at all and you've been quite the friend. Your austere lifestyle probably helped with that. I did overhear that you intend to make it through the three years, but do know that there's always a roof here for you."

"Uh..." I say, some legitimate embarrassment making itself evident with some heat on my cheeks. "That's um, means a lot to me. You probably don't know how much, but um… thank you."

"Awww, so you are a little weak to something. The ladies at IS Academy will surely have their fun."

I immediately snap my back straight. "Oh, like they'll have time to play once I get my work going. Three years of students and probably a thousand different circumstances let alone the _problem_ students, if anyone interrupts my workflow, there'll be a few problems."

"Hehehe." Madeline's light blue eyes glow a playful blue, complimenting her rather alluring light brown hair. "Well, perhaps we can share a cup of coffee now? Wouldn't hurt while waiting. I can also beat your ass in chess one final time."

I sigh before giving a laugh. "Right, right. Go ahead."

It's about an hour when I hear the cab pull up outside. Seems it's a little early, but I was losing this chess game anyways. Not that the past six went any better.

"Looks like it's time for me to go."

"Off you go, then. I'll walk you out."

I pass through the light green painted walls, noting all the various pictures. Heh, it's really when her daughter, Ushio, went into high school that I really became a part of their little community here, as evidenced when I really start showing up in the pictures. Christmas, New Years… all the various holidays where I show up. I'm going to miss this place.

Madeline helps me with my luggage, bringing it out to the yellow cab.

"W-waaaaaait!"

The two of us pause as a voice yells out. Ah…

Ushio, with her long black hair flowing through the wind and headphones-plus-cord shaking with every step, runs up to us and then nearly tackles me in a hug.

"Oi, oi, Ushio… if you don't let go, I won't be able to leave, you know?"

She looks up at me with widened green eyes. "I ran all the way home from the bus stop… I… Waaaaaaah! What am I going to do without you here?!"

I pull myself away and then get down on one knee and look into her eyes, seeing my black hair and red eyes reflected in her own. "You're going to grow up into a beautiful, independent, strong woman that's going to take the economics field by storm. You're going to learn on how it is to live life and find the ups and downs. You're going to learn what pain, misery, and sadness are but at the same time, you'll learn what joy, love, and hope are. You're going to leave the safety that your mother and I, a mere tenant, gave you in your life and take off on your own."

I'm wrapped up in another hug, my head being brought close to her stomach. "Okay. I will. But you have to talk, okay?"

"How about I send you a letter? I have your address and I can always write back. Maybe it won't be the same as talking over the phone, but it'll be cool to have a pen pal in Japan, right?"

"Um… okay. I can work with that."

"Besides, writing a letter is a skill and joy lost in today's world." I say, getting up and ruffling her hair. "I'll always be able to visit when it's holiday season, I guess. Now… I should go."

"Okay… oh, don't open that box that mom gave you until you get to your room there, okay?!"

I give a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am. Oh, and before I forget…"

Reaching into my inner blazer pocket, I pull out a small cardboard box and hand it to Ushio. It's a top of the line silver MP3 player with thirty two gigabytes of memory, the one she's really had her eyes on since her current one is dying out in its last moments of glory.

"Happy birthday, Ushio."

"Thank… you…"

"Madeline, it's been fun. If you'll excuse me…"

With that, I get into the cab and tell the driver to head to the airport. Looking over as we pull away from the house that I've known for several years, I can't help but push a few tears back. I really love those guys… I'm going to miss them.

* * *

The plane ride wasn't anything special. I ate some decent airliner food, watched a few old school action movies, went over some cultural notes about Japan since while I knew the language fairly well, I wasn't as familiar with the culture and made some notes before I left, and sat around contemplating what I'd do when I got there. Usually that started with "unpack", since my luggage that I wasn't bringing on the plane would be sent overseas by mail.

I retrieved my luggage quickly as well, considering most of my stuff that I'd need was shipped over there compared to anything I'd have to hand carry. It also isn't very long to the greeting area, where I see a woman with either a peculiar family line or dyed hair as it's a vibrant _green_ of all colors, wearing a yellow dress that showed a little too much skin for my tastes, holding a sign with my name on it.

Readying for possible identification checks, I approach her and start talking in Japanese, having already shifted my mindset as such.

"Are you here to collect me for IS Academy?"

"Are you… Shino Galen?" she asks, her accent slightly messing up the 'len' but it's almost completely invisible to a normal listener.

I take out my wallet and show her my ID. "Yes, I am Shino Galen, though Galen will do just fine. You are…"

"Yamada Maya, a teacher at the Academy. I was sent to bring you there."

"Understood. Please, lead the way, Yamada-san."

The white limousine with the icon for IS Academy doesn't exactly call for subtlety, as the symbol of the school is proudly plastered on the doors, hood, and roof. Well, I guess a school as proud of them would be as such.

I also did meet a few colleagues while on the flight. Small world, really. Either way, word got around quickly, as it always does when someone is staffed as IS Academy's resident student psychologist and therapist. Usually about how long they'd last.

From what I heard from them, most people pegged I'd go at least two months. The more 'lunatic' ones thought I'd survive a year. Their faces when I said I intend to see a full three years were priceless, too.

Time will tell, of course, how well that will go.

"A-ah… so, how was the flight?" Yamada says after about ten minutes of silence in the limo. Seems like she's fairly jittery.

"Satisfactory. Well, a little above. The food was pretty decent this time." I say, leaning back in my seat. "So, do you have a particular subject that you teach?"

"Um, I cover IS Operations in general. The subject teachers are the ones who vary." She states, clearly trying to remain composed.

"I see. Well, I hope that we get along then, Yamada-san."

"R-right!"

Twenty minutes of silence later, she decides to maybe brief me on a few things.

Like for one, the near nonexistence of male bathrooms, save for all of _two_ male bathrooms (staff dormitory and one in the offices near where I work _thank God_ ) as male staff is a fairly recent development and while the principal is a freaking guy, he's got his own private bathroom. Thus, I'd have to plan my days accordingly or simply watch my water consumption. Or develop a bladder of steel. Hm, actually maybe this is why previous men who held the position went crazy. Holding your bladder on edge along with stress probably isn't a good combination.

Staff also had their own rooms without roommates—a fact I was very pleased to hear—and were kept separate from students. The staff also had night watches, but that was mainly reserved for the teachers. If there was a shortage, I might be asked to take night patrols, but I'd surely be on the grounds rather than keeping curfew enforced inside the student dormitory.

Though, I will talk to the director about investing in an extra lock. And of course, I still keep my lawyer on speed dial in case anything gets dodgy.

Besides that info brief and the switch to a tram rail that spanned the distance between the mainland and the island IS Academy was built on, there wasn't much. Although I do wonder if Alicia helped at all with this tram's design. I'm sure she probably had a hand in it somewhere.

"I trust the ride was well?" A voice asks as I step out into the sunset.

Well, here's a person you don't meet every day.

Orimura Chifuyu, one of the most legendary IS pilots if not _the_ IS pilot. She's dressed as sharply as I am, except that she's wearing a skirt that I'm not wearing and our suits are differently colored as she wears a black while I wear a dark grey.

"Satisfactory." I say once again. "A little jet lagged, but a day of sleep and rest certainly will get that fixed."

She huffs, slightly amused. "There's quite a bit of time before the students arrive, so there's certainly no rush. You'll certainly have your hands full, considering that Orimura Ichika will be arriving to the Academy as well. That's need to know information, as well. You only know because you'll probably be in charge of his mental health."

"Wonderful."

"I'll show you to your room. You can be acquainted with the various facilities tomorrow. Oh, and thank you for bringing him here, Yamada-san."

"Of course."

"Follow me." Orimura says before turning around, expecting me to follow.

Orimura's heels and my dress shoes _clik-clak_ through the empty halls as we walk through them. A very modern design, I'll give them that much.

"I do like the design here. I'm not an architect, but it doesn't mean I can't appreciate the way it's laid out. The natural lighting was also a nice choice."

Orimura chuckles. "I was told they spared no expense on this place."

"That is of course, what they all say."

We make my way over to my room, which contains the boxes of the stuff I sent here. Not much, to be honest. The room, as I was told, comes with a kitchenette in the event I wish to cook my own meals. Which for me, will be most of the time.

"Shall I arrive at seven o'clock tomorrow?"

"You needn't bother yourself with me." I say, walking forward into the room after Orimura hands me the key. "If I happen to be up at such a time and you are also awake, very well. But you don't need to go out of your way. If you really feel like coming over at seven and I don't answer after three knocks, just assume I'm still jetlagged like you wouldn't believe and leave me be."

She gives a small scoff at this. "Very well then. I assume you won't be down for dinner?"

"I have some bread tucked away in my bag somewhere. I'll probably just eat that and go to bed. Unpacking can wait for when my body clock is back on its feet."

She shrugs and then starts walking out. "Well, I wish you luck with your upcoming job. There's a list of important numbers on the dedicated landline to your room, you might want to add those to your cellphone."

"Ah, ah. Got it. Thanks, Orimura-san. Take care."

With that, she leaves the room. I lock the door before moving to the already prepared bed, shaking my head as I sit down. Oh right… there is that box.

I move over to the black suitcase and open it up. There's a red box that's a little smaller than a shoebox and taped meticulously with sparkly tape. Well, you went through so much trouble.

I look around for a pair of scissors and make an elegant cut. Inside the box is…

"Aw, that's sweet of you, kid." I mutter, seeing the homemade brownies and chocolate chunk cookies. I take a quick sniff and find the brownies have a hint of mint to them. Mmm… thanks, Ushio.

Oh, and a card, too? You shouldn't have.

 _"It's a secret family recipe, but you're family now too."_ is written in Madeline's handwriting. The recipe for the cookies…? Madeline… _"You won't get to eat them all the time now, right?"_

Heh, what am I, a college kid going to his freshman year? I'm a grown man with a goddammned doctorate, I shouldn't be like this. But either way, it's still making me tear up a bit.

Well, I guess I should've had one earlier.

I take out one of the mint chocolate brownies and pop it in my mouth. The crisp yet sweet flavor instantly spreads throughout my taste buds, almost bringing a tear to my eye. Ha…

"Happy birthday, Ushio. I'll make sure I've got some interesting stories to tell when I visit you." I say, falling back onto the soft bed. Little too soft for my tastes…

…but I'm hella tired right now. Time to sleep. I've got a big job ahead of me…

* * *

 **As you can see, far different than what I usually write. It's not some badass story of a guy who comes in and destroys his enemies. Hell, it's likely that Galen will never see combat. He's just a hired worker meant to keep track of the mental health of the students and talk to them when needed. He might get a badass moment every now and then, but it's not going to be a combat thing. You won't see him piloting an IS or taking down bad guys with a gun. His 'badass' moments are going to be talking moments, where he would give a speech or something, if I gave him one.**

 **But yeah, he's not exactly super special. Other than his impressive academic record for someone so young, he's not abnormal at all or anything like that. Thought it'd be a nice change of pace and why writing this story appealed to me. The MC is a fairly normal guy who simply rented out a place to live, made some friends, had a relationship but broke it off, went drinking and had some small-scale adventures while in college. Not like my usual fics at all XD**

 **I doubt I'll update this very frequently, but you know, when I do feel like putting up another chapter, it'll go up. This isn't exactly a hard fic to write, since I'm not writing combat scenes or anything, so well… yeah XD**

 **Let me know what you guys think about this idea and if you'd like to see more. Seeya guys… uh, whenever I feel like updating this project.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, apparently enough of you enjoyed this that I thought I'd throw up the second chapter today. Whoop whoop.**

 **Honestly, I was expecting this thing to just sink to the bottom of the archives and no one would ever notice it XD**

 **Either way, here we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

"Come in." I say as I hear the door knock. "Door's unlocked."

"Didn't expect you to already be up." Orimura says as I swirl the caramel coffee in my dragon-themed mug, giving it an odd look. "I thought you said you'd be jetlagged."

"Picked up some tricks on reducing it. Sleep when going eastward, make sure to set your body clock accordingly. I decided to stay up a little bit and wait until it was normally time to sleep and then set my alarm to wake me up now. I might not be ready to work right away, but I'll have enough mental capacity to take some notes about where things are."

"I see."

"Can I offer you a cup of coffee? Caramel coffee might be a little sweet and caffeine probably isn't the best option for me since I need to reestablish my sleep clock, but it'll have to do for now."

"The cafeteria is open right now, if you'd like to go now. If you want something other than coffee, they're bound to have it."

"Ah." I quickly down the rest of my coffee, putting the mug in the sink and rinsing it out. "I guess we can take to that first. I assume you were going to head down there if I wasn't awake?"

I get nothing but a curt nod back.

"Understood." I reply, adjusting my red tie and grabbing a clipboard with paper in it and a pen. "Well, lead the way, please."

Before we leave, I lock my room and put the keys on the lanyard that holds my ID card. After that, I do a quick sketch of how to get over to the cafeteria, noting the directions. Fortunately, it's not that complicated and there's signs just in case.

"Oh. I can cover your breakfast." I say, taking out my wallet. "Consider it thanks for giving me a reason to get up this morning and showing me around."

"No thanks."

"Hmh." I lightly scoff. "Alright, have it your way. I guess a normal psychologist shouldn't even try giving the world's strongest a hand now, shouldn't he?"

I sense an eyeroll from Orimura as I look through the breakfast options. I settle for a simple ham and cheese in a bagel and orange juice. Orimura takes a bread and yogurt combo with some sort of tea. We eat our meals without much noise, probably because while I was waiting for my meal, I grabbed a newspaper and started reading it, occasionally marking a few interesting areas.

"A little old fashioned, aren't you?" Orimura asks fairly casually as I flip to the appropriate page to continue the frontliner article.

"Hmm, I don't know if 'old fashioned' is how I'd put it. Although I suppose you might gather that seeing that I…," I say, pausing only to take a sip of orange juice. "I read the newspaper, I still believe in attempting chivalry despite the world's view on man-woman relationships in society and whatnot, and still think I can really make a difference in the world. But whoever said that being old fashioned was bad?"

"Just a passing observation."

"Hmmhmm, I see, I see. Well, if I may offer a counter analysis?"

"Go ahead."

"Let's see… you're clearly calm, but that's something readily apparently. However, you have a slight fidget and your eyes were drawn to the article about IS Academy, mainly because your brother was prominently featured there. Of course, I noted that your interest in the paper waned as I moved off of it, but when I went back to the page, your interest was piqued once again. I also noted that you had a very slight twitch when I drew on Ichika's picture, so I'd imagine that you are quite protective. Although in a counter to that, you had a slight grin when I drew cat ears and made a horrible attempt and drawing him in a maid outfit, so despite this cold and aloof exterior, there really is quite the unique sister budding underneath."

She bites her lips.

"And I assume I hit the nail on the head." I reply evenly with a slight smirk. "Though this isn't really anything difficult to figure out. I'm pretty sure anyone could make a guess with a standard older sibling—God knows I've seen that case plenty of times."

"It was more of your observation. I couldn't tell you were even watching me."

"Oh, that?" I say, closing up the newspaper so there's space to eat my half-finished bagel. "Just something you pick up when working in my field. Body language says a lot. But you have to make sure they don't notice. People clam up or act differently the instant they think they're being watched. To let a person speak naturally, you can't give that image, or so I have seen. And so I wish I had known before."

"Hm?"

"Orimura-san, since my usual co-workers are not here and my secretary is also not present, I must request something very important of you that originally was a task delegated to them."

She raises an eyebrow, most understandably confused.

"If you should ever come across me and I am acting far too smug or acting as if my predictions, perceptions, and skills cannot possibly fail me, I merely need you to utter the words Sheryl Rashein." I mutter, leaning back in my seat. "It is easy to pick up of course, the connotation of such a request, but I feel that it would have the most impact coming from you. Considering that I may be working with your brother as well to ensure his mental health, I must be kept in line. Where I fail at that…"

Her eyes are unexceptionally stern, knowing fully well why I have entrusted her with this task. "I understand, Shino-san."

"Thank you. Sorry to come out of the blue with that, but I felt while we were on the subject I might bring it up."

"You intended to request this later?"

"Some time before your brother came, at the very least. I'll admit that while I have some rather unexpected clients and situations, being in charge of your brother probably takes the cake. I have made it no secret that unlike the many others that have held my position, I intend to see the class I start with graduate and furthermore, I will be making sure your brother ends up staying mentally well during his time here. For that to come about, I must be at my peak."

With that, I finish the breakfast I ordered and put the dishes into the retrieval system. Heh, just like college, eh?

Afterwards, I get taken around to see where the various buildings are. Most importantly out of all of them, my office, which Orimura handed me the key ring too, containing not only the key to my office but I guess anything inside there.

"Hmmm, not bad. A little big for what I usually work with, but I guess some more space isn't bad." I observe, looking around the place. "Huh, must've visited my office when I wasn't there. The principal must've gone out of their way for this, no way this place came stocked with nice smooth red carpeting."

"Not to your liking?"

"Oh no, no. Just a little amused at this, that's all. Let's see, there's already a desk here, plenty of drawer space and cabinets with the profiles in there, I suppose… A surprisingly good view of the place as well. This will do nicely."

"Good to see you'll be acclimated quickly."

"I'm a simple man, really." I reply with a shrug. "A nice office to work in is something that should be appreciated. Beats cubicle work, to say the least."

"I wouldn't know."

"Thank your lucky stars that you don't. I guess that's the last thing on the tour?"

Her eyebrows shoot up a little. "Why would you say that?"

"Because I'm sure that you were briefed on my slightly workaholic tendencies and bringing me to this office early would ensure that I start working nonstop and dismiss any further notion of looking around the campus." I shoot back with confidence, earning another small huff from Orimura. Looks like I was dead on. "Oh, they even moved the box that said 'Office Materials' here for me too? Huh. I'll have to thank the principal for that as well."

"The Academy does its best to retain its staff."

"Figured as such. Still a pleasant surprise." I pull out—seemingly to Orimura's amusement, as always—a silver pocketwatch that I set this morning. "Look at the time, it's almost one in the afternoon. Shall we have lunch, then? I don't suppose you'll take me up on an offer to purchase you your lunch?"

Turns out, she did. For ulterior motives.

Such as the lunch menu being more expensive than breakfast menu.

You got me this time, Orimura. Perhaps I should have learned after Madeline always destroyed me in chess…

"You've got the interesting look on your face." Orimura says, veiling her rather victorious smile halfway through our meal.

"You won this time." I grumble, beginning to chow down on my udon. "Fortunately, I'm not a sore loser. I do, however, get even."

"Oh?"

"Yes, actually. You may not have noticed it, but in the salt shaker, I put a bit of a napkin in there and filled it with sugar. An old practical trick I learned when I was seven. Tuck in a napkin in the shaker, fill with whatever you want. You gave me plenty of time by going to the bathroom and the fact our food wasn't here yet dropped any suspicion you had of me."

Orimura blanks before unscrewing the salt shaker. Just as I said, there's a napkin tucket in there, with the excess having been torn out to obscure the fact it was there.

I earn a pretty fierce but toned down glare for that one. Hmhm, it seems you're not so above teasing either. You remind me of how Alicia used to be when I first met her, too. No wonder I feel so calm around her.

"Oh, don't give me that. Besides, I don't ruin food. I simply put salt into that napkin. If you don't believe me, taste it for yourself." I respond lazily, getting back to eating my food. "Hmhmhm, for all that aloof demeanor you put on, you have quite the soft side hidden away. Worry not, your secret is safe with me. Although I must say I'm surprised that they would have had you show me around. I'd have pegged that something like this would be quite below you."

She puts down her chopsticks, placing them off to the side. "It was a request from the principal. I saw no reason to turn it down. And as you have brought up, one of your charges will be my brother. It is only natural that I accompany you to evaluate you."

I nod, acknowledging her explanation. "I see. Thank you for that. If there is nothing else, then I shall excuse myself and begin unpacking my office. Even if it will be a few days until the students arrive, I will not be caught unprepared."

"Very well."

"If you'll excuse me." I say, getting up from the table and taking my dishes to the disposal area. After that, I then walk over to my office and head inside.

There's not really all too much to put up. I did bring a few paintings along with my framed diplomas and whatnot to put up, nothing more than what you'd expect. It seems that I didn't need to bring my desktop either, as I have a laptop provided for me here. At least my second monitor will come handy here.

After the computer peripherals, I put up a few framed pictures of people from back home. Ralph, Alicia, Madeline, Ushio, and a few other of my associates that I keep in touch with via email and occasionally have a drink when we're both in town.

"Heh, I never did punch Ralph for this one." I mutter, pulling out the picture of Christmas, junior year of college. He, along with a few drinking buddies, thought it'd be funny to shove Alicia and I under the mistletoe during Christmas. It was also when I found out that Alicia was one hell of a kisser. Was my first kiss, too. A lot of people raised some noise about it, but… first kisses don't really mean anything in the long run, after all.

I also set up the coffee maker, the microwave, the mini-fridge, and a rack with legal sized notepads. I also get around to labeling the cabinets and rearranging them so it'll be easier to dig out what I need. The desk quickly gets filled with neatly arranged pens (black, blue, and red) that all have a nice silvery sheen to them, fresh notepads, and plenty of space for filling out forms.

Sitting on the swivel chair behind my desk, I lean back and look around the room.

"…It's a lot bigger in here than I thought."

No one hears my voice, but I realize just how much I actually really enjoyed working at that firm. Back when I just started working, one of my professors actually did have his own firm and invited me on board. He was an older man and well, he was looking for some younger talent to take over when he was about ready to retire. I, along with two others he handpicked, joined P.H. Myon's psychologist and therapy firm, taking on a variety of jobs. It was always a busy place, never a dull day. After proving myself fairly quickly, I was given the office of the guy who switched firms, apparently having deserved it.

Still wasn't the biggest place, but it was comfortable. Plus, I had my own office in that place.

Never would've imagined I'd be in this sort of office, though. It's really… huge. And there's no one else here.

Ha… I know I said I'd be pretty capable at this job, but I'm still going to miss the good times from back home. I left my previous employer on pretty good terms and he did tell me that I was free to come back considering that well… no one really expected me to last too long. It should only be a matter of time until I finish up my time here and pack up.

"Course, you'd kick my ass if I gave up now, wouldn't you?" I say to the picture of Alicia and I, where she's carrying me bridal style in a black, frilly dress that really brings out her reddish-brown hair and navy blue eyes while I'm in a white tux, holding up a champagne bottle that's spraying all over the place. "Nearly gave up on finishing up and writing my dissertation, but then you came in and quite literally beat me over the head. Gave me a hell of a sucker punch."

Ha… good times. Sometimes I really do wonder if I made a mistake and if I should have tried harder in my relationship with her. Made an attempt to keep us together, and all that.

Oh well, it's the past, I suppose. No point making a fuss about it now.

Before I get to work, I put up a sign on the door, one that I had made back home, that reads "Please Come In" on one side and "Please Knock First" on the other. Obviously, the side that says to come in is the visible one.

My first order of business is reading Orimura Ichika's file.

I turn on my laptop and play some smooth jazz before cracking open the folder with his name on it. I give it a good, deep read to make sure I understand everything clearly. He's completely civilian, to say the least. No military background at all, raised seemingly by his sister after some… family problems, I suppose. It doesn't say completely.

…I smell something fishy. This is supposed to be a complete profile, a dossier if possible. During the time that I spent preparing, I had a few calls with the headmaster about how we thought I could complete my role best I said that if I was really going to understand Ichika and get how he was going to work here at IS Academy, I wanted to know everything. Everything that I should know, at least, that I'm able to have. Family history when he was a kid, anything he may have done, personal relationships and all that…

And if this is everything I _can_ know, then someone is purposely obscuring things from me. What family issues did he have? None of these documents detail that at all.

For now, I'll just make a note of it and remember to tell the principal I've run into some difficulties but understand if the government is reluctant to give me anything more.

Hmm… so he does have prior relationships to people already attending the school.

"Quite the small world, isn't it?" I mutter to myself as I move over to grab another profile. Shinonono Houki…

Estranged with her older sister, the inventor of the Infinite Stratos. Ah, overshadowed by the older sibling and wanting to prove herself when everyone sees her as the younger sibling of the mad scientist. Ever considered a name change or alias, Shinonono? Considering the students move in first, I may have her here to talk about such a thing.

Hmm… it seems Shinonono and Orimura got along when they were kids, but circumstances forced them apart. Shinonono had to keep moving due to her sister and trying to keep her safe although I'd hardly think that anyone besides the terminally stupid would assault the family of a scientist who singlehandedly created a new superweapon straight from fiction.

I wonder…

Let's see, according to my knowledge, Orimura Ichika will be arriving a few days later. I shall have Shinonono come to my office and ask her if she would be fine rooming with Orimura. It would be better than sticking him in a room with another girl he hardly knows. Failing that, then I can simply have him room alone.

I put Shinonono's file to the side and then pick back up with Orimura Ichika's. I gather that he has a rather effeminate theme to him, as he is apparently very skilled in housework although he is still physically fit. He was also kidnapped early on and considering Orimura Chifuyu's rather protective stance on him… hmm, I wonder. These notes do imply he seems to have a fairly chivalrous mentality about him. It would not surprise me if he is views that kidnapping as a weakness and wishes to get stronger or otherwise not feel like a burden.

The rest of the day passes by fairly quickly as I make plenty of notes about Orimura Ichika. I will definitely have to prepare for when the students arrive here, as I am expected to present myself to the students during the staff introduction.

I reach over to the calendar and to-do list on the wall and make notes about what I need to do. Call in Shinonono Houki and discuss Orimura Ichika with her, bring in Orimura Ichika before he goes to class and understand him a little more, and also complete my shopping list before Sunday so I can purchase everything I need to cook my own meals. I may also have to look into having food shipped here using an online store.

With that, I get up from my chair, stretch, put away the files I took out and lock up all the cabinets. I move over to the leather chairs that look out the window, with a glass table in between the two chairs, and take a seat. It really does look beautiful…

I perk up, hearing a knock on the door. "Come in, come in."

The man (surprisingly) who opens the door is of Caucasian nature. He has a thick beard and mustache, seemingly very well trimmed and maintained. He's wearing a solid black suit with a white dress shirt that has a striped blue and grey tie. Compared to me, he's rather well built and stands taller than I do.

"Doctor Shino, is it?"

Hm, English. Not even a hint of an accent, either.

"No need to add 'Doctor' to my last name, and for honorifics 'san' will be sufficient, I've no need to be addressed by 'sensei' or 'hakase' by coworkers, which is what I assume you are." I say, standing up from my chair to face the man. "You are…"

"Edward Franchee, from Canada." He says, putting out a hand as he crosses the distance between us. I take it, giving it a good shake.

"Franchee… that name sounds familiar… ah! Yes, now I remember. I have a friend of mine, ah, Alicia Nostrein. She loved your publication on the symmetries of differential equations, Doctor Franchee."

"Likewise, you needn't address me as 'Doctor' and 'san' will do fine as well. I thought I would come and greet you, for I was good friends with the man that was in your office just before you. And as for your friend, well, I wish I had the chance to tell her in person at the last conference I attended, but her presentation on a new lightweight steel alloy was incredible."

"She'll be glad to hear that. I'll tell her the next time I talk with her. So, as far I as understand your credentials, you would be a mathematics professor?"

He nods. "Indeed. For those here that aren't so much as interested in piloting but more on the engineering side, they can receive a very high level of education here. I also teach standard mathematics to most students."

"Hm. Well, I do appreciate you coming out here. Can I get you some coffee? If you're willing to wait for it to be made, anyways."

"Oh no, no. That won't be necessary. I was on the way back to my room when I thought to stop by and simply introduce myself."

"Ah, ah. I see. Well, I look forward to any future discussions we may have, then. If you have any pointers, that'd be appreciated. I was unable to contact the person who held the position last, probably since I heard they went to become a monk."

Franchee nods again. "So I heard. Well, most of the staff is pretty friendly. Simply keep to a professional approach and as I have found success in it so far, remain impartial and neutral to all students and teachers. Though, you may have already made a folly in your interaction with Orimura Chifuyu, who I would stress that well… to say it in layman's terms, is quite off limits."

I think back to our interactions throughout the day. Well…

"It seems I have already committed a grave mistaken, then."

"Or so it would seem."

"Well, thank you for stopping me from digging my own grave, I suppose. But unfortunately, Orimura-san reminds me too much of a longtime friend of mine. I'll probably end up naturally relaxing my guard around her."

He gives a small chuckle. "Well, that is up to you. If you'll excuse me."

With that, he leaves the room and closes the door behind him. Well, well… looks like I done goofed. Oh well. Orimura's an amusing person to be around.

Still though… looks like I've made things pretty rough for myself, possibly. But I guess that'll just have to be life from now on. No one ever said this job position was going to be easy. I've got my work cut out for me now.

* * *

 **Well, there's that. These chapters aren't exactly going to be long. they're more just snapshots into the day, though I guess later on when the plot of Infinite Stratos gets going, you'll see some longer chapters.**

 **Anyways, do let me know if I've messed anyone characters up too badly. I really struggled for a bit with getting Chifuyu's characteristics down and Galen's interactions with her. Also in advance, I know pairings are common in my works but NO GALEN AND CHIFUYU WILL NOT BE A THING GODDAMN GETTING THAT OUT OF THE WAY RIGHT NOW. Say what you will, they ain't hooking up. NOPE. I just wrote their interactions with Galen being a little more forward than most people with Chifuyu because you can tell he's clearly not intimidated by her. To him, she's just another coworker, one who happens to have a special interest in him due to the fact he'll be looking over Ichika.**

 **Well, other than that I don't have much else to say. Let me know how I did with this chapter. Seeya guys next time... whenever that is XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, it's 10pm where I am and I can't get to sleep. I'm in the mood for editing since Rebuild of Prototype Spartan goes up tomorrow and decided "WELP, LET'S PUT THIS UP, IT'S ALREADY READY TO GO UP". Hopefully. I don't think there are any glaring mistakes in the chapter. Mainly because these chapters are hardly long.**

 **So yeah. Fun times.**

 **Either way, here we go, once again, into the Dysfunction Junction** _ **is it supposed to hurt that much when I say it.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3:** Shinonono

* * *

"You can relax, this isn't anything particularly troublesome, but you'll have to forgive my lack of tact. This was something I deemed fairly high priority." I say to Shinonono Houki, who is incredibly stiff and fairly tensed up, though is trying to look she's not. I suppose being called in the day after moving in would put you on your toes.

With that, she releases her shoulders slightly, the cloth of her white uniform being stretched out to its normal length rather than being all wrinkled and folded up. I quickly note her appearance. Dark brown hair in a ponytail, matching eyes, hair about to waist length.

"What did you call me here for then, Shino-hakase?"

"I simply wanted to understand your prior relationship with Orimura Ichika." I raise a finger to stop anything she may have to say before I finish. "As you have heard on the news, he will be attending this Academy very soon. The room arrangements for him have yet to be made and I have made it clear to the Academy that while I am not exactly supportive of cohabitation, it may help him to have a familiar face. He's not at all ready or acclimated to the environment IS Academy has. Do you understand where I come from?"

"I do."

"Very well. Now, would you please describe your prior and current relationship to Orimura Ichika? I would like to determine a few things."

I listen to her description and take plenty of notes. It seems they were friendly and Houki regrets and is still annoyed by the fact her communication with her friend was cut off for so long. However, she would be willing to get to know him once again and be friends since they had a lot of synergy as kids and it doesn't seem like he's changed too much based on his files.

"So, would you consent to having Orimura Ichika temporarily room with you?"

"Temporarily?"

"As I said before, this is for him to acclimate to the atmosphere and environment of IS Academy as a student. When I see that he has gotten used to the environment, I will inform the two of you in advance that I will be alerting the Academy to this so proper room arrangements can be made."

Houki nods, understanding what I mean.

"Very well, I will allow him to stay in my room. Is this why I was alone in my room?"

"Yes. Quite perceptive of you to see that. However, when he arrives, I will be asking consent from him as well. If he decides he will still take a room alone, then I will inform you and you will be quite fortunate to have a room alone this year. Now, if you'll sign this form and please do make sure to read it all carefully… I have tried to make everything as unambiguous as possible, but please do make sure you fully understand the terms fully."

After I hand her the clipboard with the form for her to sign allowing Ichika to move in with her and a pen, I continue talking.

"If you have any serious problems that arise in being roomed with him should that be the case, please do not hesitate to come to my office or send me an email right away so proper arrangements can be made. While I am watching out for Ichika as requested due to his unique status, that does not mean I will compromise on the other students. You, and all the others, are my charges in mental health so long as I am here. It would not speak very highly of me if I were to help one only to decimate another."

"A-ah…"

"Sorry, I must have come off a little strong in that regard. Ah, yes, one more topic…" I say, looking at my to-do list hidden away from her. "Have you revealed to anyone your family name?"

She looks away very slightly. Hesitant and cautious, are we? "…No."

"Do you believe it will be a problem if the others find out?"

"It won't be a problem."

"Would it cause you undue stress if people were to associate you with your sister rather than for you yourself?" I get a bit of a stinkeye from her for that. "If you wish, I can note you under an alias so your teachers will not see your last name. If you believe that that is best for you, simply tell me."

"My last name will be of no hindrance to me, Shino-hakase. I will not run away."

I scribble a quick note and nod, unable to suppress a small smile. "Very well. I shall respect your wishes and wish you good luck, however unnecessary that is. And… while it is probably none of my business, I would also suggest not holding yourself back in rankings. Someone that has skill such as you hardly should be given a C-ranking. If you have potential, it is your responsibility to make it as much as it can be. If you have nothing else you'd like to talk about, then you are dismissed."

Houki stands up, nods, and bows. "Very well. Thank you, Shino-hakase. As for your last comment… I will consider it."

After she leaves, I scoot my chair over to the coffee machine and pour myself a mugfull of salted caramel hot chocolate from a prepared packet. Took a little trial and error during the college years, but I was able to get my coffee maker to make hot chocolate which is incredibly useful.

I open up the fridge here and take out a bottle of whipped cream, spraying a bit into the mug before putting it away and taking a seat. Ha, it's a really good thing I went out of my way to the mainland to buy a _lot_ of food from a supermarket. Sure, we might have meal tickets and a cafeteria here, but I'd rather make my own food. And besides, with my hours, it's best to keep eating here.

Essentially, I'm available starting at eight in the morning, but my appointments go as early as seven if a student wants to meet before class (personal setting, not mandated by the Academy for that). This runs up until eight in the evening, with breaks for lunch and dinner taken in between although to be fair, most of that time won't be spent interacting with students as they would need to skip class so mainly it's the evening where I'll be busy. That schedule holds Monday through Friday. Saturdays, I've got it fairly easy, since like the other teachers I'm only on until two hours past the early release. On Sundays, I have a fairly relaxed ten to four shift just in case something comes up. Mainly that's for me to do paperwork and whatnot, assuming I don't finish it beforehand.

Sheesh, I can see why people'd go mad. This is a killer work schedule with… forty eight plus around six or seven plus another six… so oh, about sixty hours a week although it's not like I'm working hard all the time.

Not to mention that I have already had to shoo several girls away because as I have reiterated, I am _not_ an expert on guys, I do not handle dating advice, along with blatant attempts to create a scenario that appears to be me sexually harassing a girl by those who would rather see me gone (and would much rather prefer a female psychologist) due to their warped morals from Infinite Stratos based society that have made me order a camera for the room and a formal request to the principal to allow me to install it have already taken their toll on my patience.

And it's only Day _Two_ of the students being here.

You know, I gave up smoking when Alicia and I started going out, but they're seriously tempting me to start up again.

"Haaa…" I sigh, moving the pen away from my mouth that it looks like I was smoking something. "I can only imagine that it'll only get worse when Orimura arrives. Well, if my request goes through, then it should be good."

Two more days fly by quickly ( _Thank God_ ), with my camera being installed fairly quickly. A memo was quickly issued, saying that all office staff rooms will be monitored for security reasons, including but not limited to document security and incident investigation.

Note to self, send thank you card to the principal. As soon as that went out, the number of troublesome students went down very significantly.

…Did no one ever think to just do that before? Then again, it probably would've triggered an outburst if I were to be overly blatant about it. In addition, this probably wasn't the only thing, either. But I can imagine why for the guys, they'd clearly just not deal with this and quit. Fortunately I did meet several others who were good at creating forms (business students in particular were helpful for this) and I already had a template for incident reports so I could easily show some proof on what occurred in my office.

Still though, it didn't eliminate everyone completely. They're still a few girls attempting to pull some crap that would get me arrested if I wasn't smart and also just wasn't about to tolerate such bullshit. I made it very clear, with all the sharpness of a masterwork kitchen knife, that I wasn't about to be a dumbass and that they could either get out of my office because other people would be arriving soon or they could give me an actual issue they were having so they wouldn't be wasting their time because time—both mine and theirs—is precious.

At the end of Day Seven, during my dinner break at six forty five in the evening, I sigh while leaning back in my chair. Ha… Orimura Ichika will be arriving tomorrow. As if this wasn't worrying enough.

"Am I disturbing you?" the Orimura sister asks as she opens the door to my office.

"No, not at all. I was actually just about to eat my dinner. Can I get you some hot chocolate? Milk, maybe?" I call back, shuffling around in the fridge for the last remains of the lasagna I cooked.

"Not coffee for once?"

"I wanted something a little sweeter today. Oh, there is some iced tea as well. Care for a glass?" I say as I tuck the container into the microwave to begin heating it. "What brings you here, if I may ask? Ah, no, silly me. It's that your brother is arriving tomorrow, correct?"

"Partially. I also wanted to see how well you were holding up. Principal's request."

"Ah, I see. Well, I haven't had any major incidents, for one, which is perfectly fine with me. Some of these girls are really quite insistent on getting rid of me. But if that's how they wish to focus their efforts, fine by me. Honestly, some people today just really have no shame. Tea? You never answered."

"No thanks."

"Suit yourself. Well, if you really wish to know I'm more just worried for what I deal with tomorrow. I understand that we'll try to bring him in discreetly but let's be honest, some of these girls still freak out when I walk around campus. I guess I should be flattered, but it's… a little creepy. Also I don't want to have to call my lawyer."

I hear a snort from Orimura. "Oh yes, you have so many problems to deal with."

"Well, they probably pale compared to yours. Seeing as you have to literally beat the sense into kids who are in complete awe of the fact you are within thirty feet of them, it surely must be troublesome being so inspiring, striking, and charismatic. If you could turn a bit of that charisma into telling them to buzz off about the fact I'm not showing enough respect by getting on my knees in the presence of 'Orimura Chifuyu-sama', I'd be eternally grateful."

A smile comes onto her face, but also a hint of minor irritation. "You have girls that actually say that?"

"Oh yes. Two of them today, actually. I didn't know whether to laugh or to sigh. So I settled for taking another sip of hot chocolate."

I see Orimura take a quick look at my trashcan at the mention of hot chocolate, seeing the four packets in there so far. "…That can't possibly be healthy."

"It's a good thing I run in the mornings and watch my diet fairly well, then." I reply with a shrug. "Besides, four cups of hot chocolate in a day isn't going to do much. Hell, Ralph would down easily more than thirty in a twenty four hour period when he'd be at a hackathon—which was oh, every other week—and that guy still has a faster five-k than me."

Another small scoff from Orimura.

"Well, Orimura-san, you can trust me in that your brother will be dealing with the best that I can give him. Also, in case you weren't informed, he will be rooming with Shinonono Houki should he so consent to doing so."

"I was already informed. I trust you didn't make that decision lightly."

"I have your brother's well-being in mind. A friendly and familiar face in a completely foreign environment will help him out."

"I see."

"That's my line. Anyways, I just hope that it doesn't explode into a frenzy. I'll have to invest in a dual lock system, lest some crazier girls try to get his files. Although, it may cause quite the commotion but if you—"

"I'm not telling the entire school that my brother is off limits."

"Pity."

She crosses her arms, clearly ticked. "Did you _honestly_ think I was going to say that?"

"I estimated chances to be abysmally low but thought it might be a fun attempt. And if you had been convinced, the ensuing cataclysm as a million students attempted to figure out why Orimura Chifuyu was telling them her younger brother was off limits and the implications of such words would have also been a wonderful observation to write a paper on. Other than that, it seems I'm going to simply have to be very diligent about my security. Oh, and perhaps on another topic, did anyone see you enter this office?"

"…Why?"

"Oh, just a way to mitigate any chances of office drama. I've been informed that well, perhaps appearing to overstep my bounds is ah, let us say, detrimental to my relationships with other staff."

Orimura snorts at this, shaking her head. "Idiots. It holds some truth value, but I never tell them to do anything of the sort. If it becomes a major problem, either inform the principal or myself discreetly."

I blink, putting the meaning of her words together. Ah, so it seems you've come to trust me, then. If you would grant me that courtesy, then very well.

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me," I say as the microwave times out with a _BEEPBEEPBEEP_. "I really must be eating my dinner, as I am giving a small presentation here to several girls who believe they might really be torn apart by homesickness. Have a good evening then, Orimura-san."

"You too."

With that, she leaves the room, allowing me to eat my lasagna in peace. Orimura's really a hell of a woman, huh? It'd be really funny if Alicia came here. I'm sure the two of them would get along. Especially once Alicia's drunk or at least tipsy.

Ha… well, all that's left to do is really to wait until the end of the day.

Fortunately, the rest of the day doesn't really have any other incidents. I head back to my room after locking the office up once the presentation and any other questions are answered, feeling rather content.

"Hmm, I suppose a shower's in due order. Then I'll finalize my list of what I know about Ori—"

…My door is unlocked.

Okay, who has the key? That restricts the list to Orimura who wouldn't give the key to anyone, the principal who also wouldn't just randomly give the key out, and me, who certainly hasn't made a copy of the key. The lock itself doesn't seem to be damaged and there's no chipping around the door to indicate signs of forced entry… so someone must've picked the lock.

Hmmm…

I take a look around and see no one else is here in the hallway. I slip into the room silently, recalling what several acquaintances told me about going into your place when you suspect it's been broken into. I didn't _just_ hang out with my close friends and those in my field, I made sure to have friends in other places such as in the reserves and also in criminal justice.

I close the door behind me and confirm that the lock is in fact, still working. I then check the kitchen area, noting that every knife is still here. I don't want to have to inflict serious harm, so that's right out.

However… there is my umbrella. It's long, running up to past my waist if the tip is perpendicular to the ground. I'm not exactly skilled with a sword but I am pretty decent with a baseball bat.

Nothing really seems to be disturbed here. Still kind of freaky—I hear the shower.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" I mutter as I approach the private bathroom.

I put my hand on the handle of the door. Taking a deep breath, I then turn the knob and throw the door open with a loud roar, making sure the door hits the wall hard to make plenty of noise. At the same time the _THUOMP_ of the door hitting the wall hits, the lone female in the bathtub screams.

"Who the hell are you?!" I yell to the purple haired woman who is currently dangling out of the bathtub, apparently having slipped when getting out of the tub when I barged in. I immediately note that one, I can't tell what position she was in prior to my entry considering it would've been a hell of a fall to put the display I'm seeing and that _two_ , there are bubbles all over my bar soap indicating it was just recently used. "And why the hell have you been using my soap?!"

"Ehehehehe! I'm Shinonono Tabane!"

…Goddammit.

"And the second question?"

"It smelled good?"

I resist the urge to growl like an animal as I give a loud sigh. Okay, okay. Shinonono. Probably has relations to Orimura Ichika.

"How the hell did you get in my room?" I ask as she fixes herself, getting out of the bathtub and starting to dry herself as if not caring I was here. "Oh wait, never mind. I guess you of all people would be able to easily get in here."

"Hmhm, you're a sharp one. You can stop with the umbrella-bat as well."

"You're still an intruder in my living quarters. I don't care who you are."

She tilts her head at me while slipping on her black undergarments. "Hmm, okay. If I give you something, will you trust me?"

You're entirely too childish for this sort of thing. Like a six year old who never really quite grew up.

"Not really… I'll just… let you change for now." I say while I slowly back out of the bathroom, keeping the umbrella up between us (although really, like it'd do much if it really came to anything serious) as I reach for my cellphone. Fortunately, I was able to secure Orimura Chifuyu's email-phone-address-thing if I really needed to reach her.

" _Tabane. In my room."_

It doesn't even take two minutes before my door is thrown open and then closed, with Orimura locking the door behind her. Her eyes are lit with quite the blaze. I point towards the (still open) bathroom and get a bit of a glare for it, but I shrug.

Orimura closes the door behind her as she enters the bathroom.

"Oooooh, Chi-chan? Oh wait, how did you… ohohohoho, could it be that you're invo—EEEEE!"

I decide to simply play some smooth jazz off my phone to the speakers I have here to blot out the noise. Hooray for wireless speakers.

About ten minutes later, I see Orimura come out in a huff, dragging Shinonono Tabane by the ear. As in her real ears by the way, not the rabbit-robot-ears that she has on a headband.

"Actually, she never did answer why she was here. I just want to know, even though I already have a good idea." I say, Orimura giving me a 'are you serious' look in return.

"I just wanted to see the person who was going to be helping to look over Ik-kun~!"

"Yeah that confirms it." Hmm, now how can you entertain me for breaking into my room? I suppose I can attempt to determine a few things. Let's see your reactions… "Okay Orimura-san, you can take the garbage out."

"G-GARBAGE?!"

"With pleasure."

Well, now that's something I wasn't expecting. Seems she's not good at taking teasing back. Orimura is quite smooth at adapting as well.

"W-WHY DO YOU TWO HAVE SUCH GOOD SYNC—"

I don't hear the rest as Orimura slams the door to my room behind her. Well, that was interesting. Who would've thought that within quite the small time frame, I'd meet not only Orimura Chifuyu, but also have a surprise run-in with Shinonono Tabane who came to check on me. While showing off her body shamelessly, no less. While I don't really care about her, it is the probability of such an event occurring that's more amusing.

"Ha, well, I suppose I knew things would get interesting." I mutter, locking my door. "…I wonder if it's wrong to use my soap now."

When I enter the bathroom, I find that my soap bar has a heart engraved into it. I'm pretty sure I should just throw it away… but this stuff cost money.

I finish my evening shower and slip on some dark grey checkered pajama pants and a white shirt, then flop down on the bed, looking out at the view outside for a few minutes before turning on some classical tracks.

Once I put on some glasses, completely cosmetic but I find they're nice for reading as the small weight on my nose while looking down on the pages of a book are… unique. As for my selection tonight, that would be _The Count of Monte Cristo_. Even though I've read this book several times, it never fails to grip me.

After about twenty minutes of reading, I hear a knock on the door. Getting up from the bed, I walk over to the door and open it, finding to my surprise, Shinonono Tabane and Orimura.

"Oh? Manage to convince Orimura-san to allow you to be here?"

"You have fifteen minutes. Yell if you need anything."

I believe the first statement was to Tabane and the second to me.

"Well, I see I have no such say in the matter." I mutter as Shinonono skips into my room, closing the door behind her. I make sure to leave it unlocked as she then goes over to my bed and sits down. "Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea? Water? Milk?"

"Mmmmmm, milk sounds good."

At that, I open the fridge and retrieve said drink.

"Alright. Well, let's not waste your fifteen minutes now, shall we? What did you wish to know?" I say while pouring her a glass of milk.

"Hmmm, how about who you are? I want to know the person who'll be looking over Ik-kun."

I pass her the glass and put the milk back in the fridge before replying. "I am Doctor Shino Galen, with Shino being my family name since I'm using Japanese naming conventions. I am currently working here as IS Academy's student psychologist, therapist, and technically part of the medical staff as I work with the other medical staff to provide any medication that a student may need such as anti-depressants. I wrote my first published paper on an overall history on the change of social norms and perceived roles in society based on the Infinite Stratos' introduction to the world, although my doctoral dissertation was on the "personality" if you'll forgive such a loose term in casual conversation, anyways, of the AI Core that makes up an Infinite Stratos based on interviews with several pilots and how it influence pilot mental health, especially pilots receiving a new unit. I don't have a significant other at the moment, my favorite type of music is jazz and is also why I picked up the saxophone, and I run a blue-black Magic the Gathering deck. Is there anything else you wish to know, Shinonono-san? Or would you prefer Shinonono-sensei?"

Her face turns into a dangerous smile. Seems I've struck a nerve. "Not 'hakase', or so I have heard the students address you as, _Shino-hakase_?"

I give a small scoff. "You may have the knowledge of several doctors in all sorts of fields and created something entirely new to the world, but I have yet to see a doctorate dissertation that you have written."

"That's really such an old-fashioned way of looking at things, you know?"

"Perhaps. But for those of us who slaved away at research and struggled to write a paper that would establish us as a true expert in our field with a very specific piece of knowledge that it could be clearly discussed with the methods, the trials, and all of such with some semblance of _hard_ data to back it… well, it is they who I would call by the honorific of 'hakase'. If it would smooth over our conversation, I shall use it but only for now."

A tense silence hangs in the room, but I give her a direct look in the eyes and don't break until she sips her milk.

"Hmhm, okay. Neeeeeext… what is your relationship with Chi-chan?"

"By whom do you refer to?"

"Oooh, good answer. Chi-chan is the _scaaaaary_ woman who came and dragged me out earlier."

"Oh. Ah, Orimura-san. We are coworkers. That is all."

"Nothing else?"

"I would require permission from her to disclose any such further details about the nature of our relationship." I say evenly, though it doesn't stop Shinonono from smiling like a cat.

"Ufufufufu, I see. It really would be quite the spectacle if a man let it slip that he was in a relationship with Chi-chan."

"Please don't say such unpleasant things. I'm sure it'd be a headache for the both of us."

I instantly regret my wording.

"The both of us?"

"I doubt that either of us would want to deal with such a debacle. In addition, I fear that such a controversy would severely undermine my reputation in my academic field. Considering that I'm not looking for an entirely new line of work, it would not be in my favor for such misleading words to be said." I say in a composed tone with zero panic, as there's no need for me to have my heart race because of that. It was simply an error in my speech, nothing more.

"So your reputation comes first?"

"Oh no, no. Only in that case. My work always comes first. And seeing that my work is ensuring that the students here remain mentally healthy and functioning as good members of society, that will come first. If I must sacrifice what others think of me in order to make sure that not one student is left to walk the darkness that is adolescence and in addition the high stakes environment of IS Academy, then so be it. I only hope that my actions will restore what I have to sacrifice."

"Hmmm, okay, okay. Next question. What do you think of Ch—"

"I will not be answering any more questions on Orimura Chifuyu. Now, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes, yes, go ahead."

"Why did you feel the need to use my soap?"

A still silence hangs in the air before she bursts out into giggles. "That was your question?"

"Perhaps a better question is why you felt the need to engrave a heart into my soap bar. Quite a waste of a good soap bar."

"Hehehe, because it was funny. And I thought I might tease you."

Geez, what an impulsive person.

"Well, that's all I wanted to know." With that, she drains her glass and hands it back to me, where I dump it into the sink. "So, when will I know my judgment? You came here to judge me and thus, I wish to know what the verdict is."

"Hmmmm, we'll see how it all comes up to when Ik-kun gets here."

"Ah, I see. Theoretic followed by practical. A wise decision." I say as she walks to the door. "Leaving already?"

"I don't need to stick around any longer. Besides, Ik-kun's coming tomorrow, right? You should be ready for him."

"Right, right. Have a good night then, Shinonono-san."

"Good night, Shino- _hakase_."

Going to hang that one over my head for quite some time, aren't you? Heh, all right. If that's what you want.

Locking door behind her, I put my book on the bedside table before lying down on the bed and turning out the lights. Best get to sleep now. I've got… a really important person coming in tomorrow, after all.

* * *

 **Heh. Well, this is a really relaxing fic to work on, actually. Not much I really have to explain.**

 **I attempted to have a justification for why Ichika rooms with Houki, as created by Galen, as I didn't recall it coming up in the novels. He notes he's not** _ **entirely**_ **supportive of having them room together but recognizes that Ichika needs all the damn help he can get in surviving IS Academy because honestly, if you were the only guy there, it would probably screw with you mentally. I also thought that Galen might press Houki on her last name, as that seemed to be an issue for her early on where Shinonono is immediately associated with Tabane, and of course, Galen would know about it.**

 **Some more Chifuyu and Galen shenanigans, with the two of them just talking. If you're wondering why it's always Chifuyu, it's mainly because I've been too damn lazy to make any more staff members at the moment. I should fix that, shouldn't I? Yes, I should. Maybe I'll get around to it. It wouldn't do to have the only thing on Galen's plate be Ichika and co.'s shenanigans although obviously, that'll be a part of it.**

 **Aaaand then we have the scene I heavily debated about. I felt Tabane's introduction was a little too ham-fisted, but well, I thought that she'd be interesting in seeing what kind of person Galen is. It wouldn't surprise me if Tabane found out what he told Houki of course, that he'd be looking after Ichika, and considering she just throws herself wherever and does whatever, she'd come pay him a visit. Him finding her in the shower was mainly just to establish Tabane's nature as a troll, as she was just screwing with him and wanted to see a reaction, in Galen's case,** _ **absolutely nothing**_ **other than annoyance.**

 **Their final talk was where I felt Galen's character really comes out. He's a hard worker. Yes, he's old fashioned while still being considered a young adult. He believes in hard work and the accolades that come with it. To him, his reputation as an academic is very important to him as his introduction begins with a record of his papers, but nothing more as he's not a bragger. He's a person that takes his job very seriously and sees it more than just "helping people with problems", as evidence by his dialogue. If anything, that's what made me keep the Tabane scene because otherwise, Galen's characterization feels a little empty.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you think! We'll see what happens next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow. This chapter's a little lengthy compared to the other ones.**

 **Well, I thought I might do another update since after this weekend, I'll be rather busy and well, I won't leave this story to not have an update until like, September because this is an amusing project to work on. So, to put my mind at peace, I finished editing this chapter and decided to post it.**

 **Fun times for this chapter. Here we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** Meet the Staff

* * *

"Orimura Ichika, it's good to finally meet you." I say as the boy enters the room. "If you'd be as so kind as to lock the door. Just prevents anyone from accidentally walking in and causing a ruckus. While I'm sure the students have been alerted to not cause you trouble, I'd rather minimize the chances of such."

"U-um, right."

The boy's dressed in what I can only assume is a hastily made male variant to the IS Academy uniform. That is to say he's merely wearing white pants, just as white as the skirts the girls wear. He looks quite feminine, if I do say so myself, though I can see enough of a resemblance between Orimura and him to see why they're siblings.

I stand up as he walks over to the chair in front of my desk and offer a hand that he shakes. Good, if not a little loose for a handshake.

"Shino Galen, well met. I'm sure you'd be told that you'll be talking with me, right?"

He nods. "Yes, Shino-hakase."

"Well, how have you been holding up? I imagine that things must have been hectic lately."

"It has been really busy. Moving around place to place and then being told I'd be coming here…"

"Any concerns about going here?" I say, picking up the slight pause.

"Well, you've been working here for some time already, right? It was in the newspapers and I heard from my sister." I nod, gesturing for him to continue. "But how are the bathrooms…?"

"There's two male bathrooms, fortunately. _Un_ fortunately, there's only one available to you. One is in the staff building and the other is in the office areas here. I would advise, as I have been doing, to still keep hydrated, but you may need to sacrifice part of your lunch break in using the bathroom. Not too much to ask, is it?"

I get a nod to that.

"Oh, and I'll also be covering your room arrangements. Currently you're set to be roomed with Shinonono Houki."

I see him twitch. Hm?

"Will that be a problem?"

"No, I just didn't expect that."

"It was my recommendation, actually. I thought it might be good to have a familiar face while you're still getting used to the environment here. If you're fine with it, would you sign the consent form?" I say, handing over the clipboard and pen like I did for Houki. "Shinonono-san has already okay'd it, so please don't cause trouble for one another. Since it's still before classes, you should head there now and make sure to introduce yourself. Oh, and make sure that while you're at this school, you exercise all precautions. Knock before you open any door, and if you get no response, do not enter and simply knock again."

"Um… Shino-hakase, I don't mean to sound rude but… you sound like you have some experience."

I rub my forehead, where I definitely did not have a shampoo bottle thrown at my head because no one answered the goddamn knocking on one of the private shower rooms in the pool area. "It's just a precaution. Hmmm, what else do I need to cover? Ah, you were already given my hours, correct?"

"Yes, I was."

"Ah, so I don't need to go over them with you. While walk-ins are welcome, making an appointment would be better to guarantee a time to talk. The instructions are on the student portal on the school website." Another nod. "Hmmm, I don't think I have much else for you to talk about. However, just so I have a baseline, I'd like to just get your thoughts on how you'll fare here and how you think of your current situation."

With that, I take very meticulous notes, finding out that Ichika isn't exactly boggled. He's a little hesitant at the fact he's going to be the only male student, but he is certainly relieved that I'm here because there's another male on the island that he can somewhat talk to (as I'm just in my middle twenties but look fairly younger). Finding out that Shinonono was here has also put him at relative ease, along with finding he'll be rooming with her. It seems that the two of them do regret being parted for so long.

I do send him off with a warning not to be impulsive. He needs to be careful on the island about what he does because it's a rather small community, everyone will know everyone by some point and news travels fast on a limited area like this.

…even though I guess I'm no one to talk considering my interactions with Orimura's older sister.

"…That kid's going to get smoked, isn't he?" I mutter after he leaves. Judging by his responses… he is quite uh, _naïve_ or perhaps a better word is _dense._ Hmm… no. Not quite. It seems that Orimura is a very cunning individual. He let down his guard around me. But when he noticed that was the case, it seems he moved back into the dense persona. I suspect that it's a defense mechanism or something he developed for being here.

Still though, it's a pretty deep cover, as it also applies to his supposed knowledge of the world… and he's still quite a chivalrous man. But unfortunately, he doesn't nearly seem as well cemented in it such as me. After all, not every man in the world would be willing to stare down Orimura Chifuyu and offer to buy her lunch and then shrug it off.

Fortunately, the end of the day comes without incident. Shinonono and Orimura's separate replies to my email asking if things went over smoothly seems to have indicated as such. Ha… classes begin in two days. That will be the first major test after this one.

"So, it seems that you're pretty relaxed."

"I'm just happy that it went well." I say to Orimura Chifuyu who's entering my office. "What brings you here? Ah yes, your brother. Of course, of course. Hmm… I suppose in the interest of his wellbeing, it would sbe best to keep you informed, so I have no issue in speaking to you about him. Well, things seem to be progressing smoothly with he and Shinonono cohabitating. I'm sure he's a little more at ease with a familiar face assuming he doesn't do anything stupid… and that's not a good face you have there."

"He can be…"

"A little dense?"

"Yes."

I decide not to bring up the fact it seems to be a front more than anything else.

"Well, I'm sure that with my reminder to pay attention to his surroundings that will be mitigated. Anything else I should know about?"

"Oh, I also did come here to invite you to the staff dinner. Since classes are about to begin, this is likely one of last times all staff will be free for the most part. It's at eight, so feel free lock up early."

"I actually don't fully lock up until eight fifteen, just in case someone has an incredibly tight schedule. Even for this, I won't compromise on that. There are students to look after and fifteen minutes can make all the difference."

"I see. Very well, shall I reserve a seat for you?"

"You needn't do so." I say, checking the time. Seven forty five, hm? I actually skipped dinner as two students came in earlier to discuss their anxieties with the upcoming classes. I didn't recommend prescribing anything, but I told them to remember that they came here for a reason. They were scouted as the best of the best in their particular country of origin. In addition, there are plenty of resources here to help students.

To be frank, this 'high school' serves more like a college, actually. But I digress.

I told them that there are plenty of people who want to succeed here and there are plenty more of those who wish to see you succeed. So swallow whatever it is that's holding you back, whether it be fear of judgment, anxiety, or even pride that stops you from seeking the help you need.

" _After all, you took the first step in coming to me. That has to mean something. You're capable of asking, now it's just a matter of asking the right person."_

That's how I ended it, with the best smile I could muster as well. Either way, those two girls looked a lot more relaxed going out of the room than when they came in. But I'm just doing my job, after all.

"You will be there, right?"

"I see no reason to blow it off. Save me a seat if you wish, but I'll be fine standing or off to the side."

"Very well."

"Though I must say, you're quite forward in telling me to go."

Orimura pinches the bridge of her noise. "Are you aware of the phrase _'High school never ends'_?"

"Oooooh. Ouch."

"Unfortunately, several of my colleagues were a little, shall we say, _aggressive_ in asking me to persuade you to come."

"…Save a seat for me. Preferably a corner seat. Where I won't be surrounded in all directions."

"I can make no guarantees."

"Yes, I figured. Just… well, it'd be useful."

"I understand. If you'll excuse me."

With that, Orimura leaves my office. Ha… a staff dinner. I was hoping to avoid such frivolities but it seems I don't have much of a choice.

Sighing, I lean back in my seat, done with my work for the day. I count down the minutes as they trickle by while playing chess against an advanced computer. Unfortunately, against a construct of pure mathematics, I can't taunt and use my general psychology tricks against it, ensuring my defeat.

"Well, that certainly wasn't foreshadowing…" I mutter as I shut my laptop down and tuck it into my bag. "Losing right before going to the staff dinner. By a triple queen checkmate, at that."

I try giving it at least two more minutes while I wait outside my door, but no one else comes so I leave my locked door behind and go back to my room to drop off my belongings before heading over to where the staff dinner is.

I almost immediately sigh as three women immediately latch themselves onto me (one on each arm and one by my _silk tie let go of that_ ) and start dragging me off in differing directions, earning glares from some of their peers, those who are either too reserved to make a move or those who would don't trust me just yet. I'm fairly sure that IS Academy does a very deep screening to actively avoid any staff trying to sabotage each other, as I haven't run into any staff that have told me that men are scum like the usual IS modern society would like to imply.

I look around the room for my potential savior and possibly a group of males, but they're scattered around the room with various degrees of awkwardness on their face. Franchee waves to me across the room, but it seems there's no empty seats around him. There's various tables set up, some for sitting in _seiza_ position while for others (mainly for, considering who is sitting there, those who aren't so used to Japanese settings) there are regular tables set up with chairs.

Orimura, where are you…

"Hmph, so you didn't run away."

"I wasn't planning to." I reply as all three of my draggers immediately let go and back away.

"You're late."

"I usually stick around an extra fifteen minutes just in case a student has an emergency right around when I would be closing out. Fifteen minutes can mean everything. Please understand, Orimura-san."

Everyone around me slightly backs down, realizing that for one, _I'm backsassing Orimura Chifuyu_ and two, _she's completely fine with it._

…which unfortunately triggers the goddamn rumor mill. People around us start whispering as Orimura snorts.

"I suppose so."

"Of course, I apologize if I caused you any undue anxiety. I didn't know that a single man being fifteen to twenty minutes behind schedule to a party could so easily put the great Orimura Chifuyu in an anxious state."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

I give a shrug. "Haha, of course, of course. Surely I could never hope to do such a thing."

"Hmph. Well, despite your reputation for being so punctual, it seems that you still aren't perfect. Fortunately for you, I don't see fit to give you a penalty for being so late."

That word 'penalty' immediately triggers a chant of "Penalty game!" Goddammit, I see what you did there. Abandoning me to the wolves, aren't you? I shall then of course, play the oblivious interloper.

"Wait, I thought if you got a penalty, you were out of the game for some time. Or at least, that's how it works in hockey. Am I supposed to step outside for five minutes? Is that how that works? At least let me get a cup of water first."

This causes a large enough pause before a snort from Orimura interrupts it.

"Shall I show you what a penalty game is?"

"Oh God, I don't even want to know. You are _way_ too eager to show me what it is. It doesn't involve alcohol, does it? I'm not in the mood for drinking tonight."

"We'll do something simple. Hmm, you value a professional appearance, so give me your tie."

"My _what_?" I don't get anything more in before Orimura reaches over and undoes my black tie. "And isn't it a little uncomfortable that you can do that?!"

"Quiet."

I sigh as it comes off from around my neck and then is wrapped around my head like a headband. I look stupid.

"Oh, it could've been worse." Orimura says with a smug grin. "Don't be late next time."

I only let out a low sigh as I decide to go find myself an open seat, with a corner seat fortunately open. I'm quickly surrounded however, by plenty of colleagues (or so I will refer to them as) some of which have no idea what _personal space_ is.

"Is it true that you play saxophone?" One of them asks as I take the tie off from around my head and tuck it into one of my inner pockets.

"Well, yes it is true. I took it up after listening to smooth jazz for so long. Listening to music is nice, but learning how to play it isn't half bad either." I reply to a woman, one who I would classify as a young adult. She has black hair with bubblegum pink highlights in it that run a little past her shoulders and blue eyes. She's dressed in a rather lacy black dress, which I suppose was for the party rather than for professional wear. "Oh, would you happen to play a jazz instrument as well?"

"I play piano every now and then, but I really like the classical pieces."

"Ah, I see. Well, I do like listening to a few of Tchaikovsky's pieces when reading. Who's your favorite classical composer?"

"I'm more of a fan of Bach, actually."

"Mmm. I'm afraid I don't listen to him all that much, but I suppose I can see about giving a few of his compositions a try. Any suggestions?"

"Try Piano Concerto Five, it's my personal favorite."

"Will do, ah, how rude. I never asked your name."

"Tsuketa Kazuki. You don't need to introduce yourself though, most of us already know who Shino Galen is."

"Oh, well, that saves me a few words then."

"It's fortunate you're sitting here though, we'll be working together quite soon. I work in the medical office, after all."

"Ah. My apologies, I haven't had the chance to step over and introduce myself to you, only a few emails."

"Oh no, no. It's not a problem." She says with a disarming wave. "Although quite a few rumors about you have spread. You wouldn't happen to be a vampire, would you?"

"You _can't_ be serious."

She gives a small giggle. "Ah, I suppose I wouldn't have been able to get that past you. Well, being holed up in your office has put off quite a few people. Not a lot of people fear going into your office, er, well, the staff anyways. From what I hear, you've been taking care of our students already."

"That's what I was brought here to do, correct?"

Another light chuckle. "Oh yes, I guess it was. But well, take the time to talk to the staff here. I'm sure you'll find many others who you'll find friendly. Oh and I guess I should say this now, but I apologize for throwing that bottle at you the other day."

I try not to frown, but shrug instead. "It's not a problem."

"Alright. Well, if you'll excuse me."

With that, she leaves, presumably to go talk to someone else. Before any of the other women here can talk to me, an arm wraps around me. I find it's—surprisingly—another man.

"Sorry ladies, but I'm going to borrow him for a second!"

I make an immediate note of his features. Brown hair, green eyes. Skin complexion would imply Caucasian descent. "Excuse me, I don't think I've quite had the privilege of learning your name yet."

"Henry—er, Samson Henry, I guess."

"Ah. Well, would you like me to use honorifics? Both of us seem to be familiar with another style of calling each other."

"Heh. Call me whatever you want, Galen. I can call you that, right?"

"Outside professional matters, go ahead."

I of course, find out that I'm betrayed as he drags me over not to Franchee's table like I had hoped, but to another table full of four young women where he immediately sits down beside me and says. "Alright ladies, here he is."

Note to self, Henry is trouble. Do not go drinking with him. Unless I discover he's a sad drunk from the others. Then, go drinking with him and be the designated driver.

"Well, I suppose I should introduce myself, unless everyone here already knows who I am." I say, breaking the tense atmosphere. "May I know who you all are?"

The four women introduce themselves.

The one with cherry red hair that comes to her shoulders and matching eyes who's trying to slightly make herself smaller and still dressed professionally is Class 2-2's assistant teacher, Odama Hazuki from Akibahara. Henry is slightly hesitant to look her in the eye as well, so I assume there's some history between them.

The second one has white-silvery hair (made to look like twintails of all designs) and red eyes, the classic albino, and is dressed in a simple white dress is Sullivan Catherine from Britain. She's part of the maintenance crew on campus and apparently her perfume _has a gunpowder scent_ if my nose doesn't lie _._ An interesting woman, to say the least.

The third has tanned skin and blonde hair that runs to her elbows with light green eyes, sort of like ganguro style but not nearly as darkly tanned, and has on business casual clothing with the top two buttons of her light blue blouse unbuttoned and light brown khakis. Her name is Mazumina Fuuka, and she's part of the grounds staff as in, she helps maintain the beauty of the campus.

The fourth one is Komine Haruna. She is amusingly the most "normal", perhaps of the bunch, as she doesn't have any exotic features other than her paler than normal skin that goes with her black hair tied in a side tail and her brown eyes. She's dressed in a blue kimono with a white apron on top of it. She's actually the head of the cafeteria staff, pushed out by her helpers because she spent the entire day both helping prepare the student meals _and_ the staff party meals and that she should enjoy it a bit.

"Well, I haven't had any to eat yet, so perhaps I'll partake in a bit." I say, looking across the table we're sitting at. Hmm, there's some oden, along with some salmon, and of course, sushi. There's also some chicken pieces, along with karaage, or Japanese fried chicken. There's also a lot of bowls with soup in them scattered around the room.

"Hm, you really put a display on for everyone, didn't you?"

"I learned from an early age that there's nothing that makes people smile quite like having a feast. Seeing them all happily enjoying food while talking, it's a sight like no other." Komine replies, unable to suppress her smile anymore.

"Then, I'll gladly partake."

"I would appreciate it if you did. Let's eat!"

"Let's eat!"

During the time we eat, we also talk about several things, such as recent sports and other events. For most part, I'm able to gauge their personalities, but it's difficult to determine any of their preferences as no one ever delves that deeply. I try to open them up by slowly shifting to hobbies, but no dice. Then again my hobbies are pretty… well, not so much boring, but I suppose if you told someone your hobbies were reading and playing chess, there wouldn't be much to talk about unless someone else matched up.

Either way, I try out a variety of foods that Komine prepared, quickly filling myself up. Ha… I can't decide what I liked more, really. Her yakitori was great, but that spicy karaage was delicious, but they're competing with shumai. Those meat buns were also delicious. Agh…

"Ha… Wow. I don't think I've nearly eaten that much before. I don't think I've had even close to a feast like this before. Or at least, not without dropping a lot of cash for a reservation and also for the food."

"I'm glad you liked it." Komine says with a smile as I snap open a can of orange soda that they happened to have here. "Do you cook often, Shino-san?"

"Not as often as I'd like. Usually I cook straight from an old family cookbook if it's not just a simple meal, but I don't think anything in there quite matches up."

"Hmm… well, perhaps you could come by the kitchens after hours and try your hand. A few of the other staff members do so on occasion. If you'd like, we can swap family recipes."

"Heh. You sure that doesn't stand for something else?" Mazumina says, causing Komine to start coughing on the cold canned coffee she started drinking. "Hehehe, it looks like that reaction gave me everything I needed to know."

"Mazumina-san, that's not what I meeeeant!"

I think it'd be best to just keep my mouth shut. Thus, I quietly sip my soda while the two fuss over the meaning of her words.

"Mmm, alone, in the kitchens. Tasting all sorts of things. Trying your hands. Swapping… _family recipes._ "

With a loud war cry befitting a seasoned warrior, Komine grabs a plastic fork and gets up from her seat. Mazumina gets up from her seat as well before sprinting away from the chasing Komine. And this isn't even the most of the shenanigans, as there's all sorts of similar things happening around the room.

It seems that Henry took this as a distraction to leave me, as now I'm here alone with Sullivan and Odama.

"Well, glad to see Mazumina's energetic as usual." Odama says, now no longer as small as she was when Henry was around. "Um, sorry for being withdrawn. It's just awkward to talk when—"

"I understand. No need to explain yourself there, I figured as much. Are those two usually like this?"

Odama nods. "Those two are pretty good friends, I heard they even went to high school together. But Mazumina-san likes to tease Haruna-san and while she usually tries to deflect it, um, she reaches a breaking point."

We hear Mazumina cheerfully yelling out to Franchee to "save her", which I can only assume means protect her from Dark Fork Komine.

"Well, as long as they don't break anything, I'm fine with it. It's entertaining so watch." Sullivan says with a shrug, her voice slightly dragging probably out of laziness. "Preventative maintenance is fine, but actually having to fix things is such a pain. Anyways, you seem like an all right guy. I don't feel anything dark from you."

"…Dark?"

"It's nothing. I simply can feel the way your heart beats. A selfish desire or two, but that is the case for all people in the world."

…Hm. Maybe she has a slight case of _chunnibyou_? It does seem that everyone in IS Academy has some sort of quirk.

"Ah… Sullivan-san, you're doing _it_ again."

Sullivan blinks twice before coughing to clear her throat. And also, for some reason something in the back of my head is telling me that the way Odama is speaking is… a person I should be very cautious around. I wouldn't go as so far as to call her very overpowering, but her manner of speech, the tones and inflexions, remind me of… a slightly um… sadistic and domineering in a _certain_ sense patient of mine from before.

"Ah, uh, well. You just don't seem like a bad guy. You don't seem to be overly forward or anything, like some other sleezeballs I've worked around. Heh, you committed? Wouldn't surprise me."

I swirl the left over soda in my can around while talking back. "Actually, no. Unless you'd like to joke that I'm married to my job."

Sullivan gives a scoff as she raises her cup of tea to drink.

"Haha, are you perhaps a workaholic, Shino-san?" Odama asks, with me rolling my eyes before I speak. I also note that her persona had suddenly changed as well, as her way of speech is once again calm and lacking any sort of threat behind them.

"Oh no, I just like my job. Although, I also like unwinding, but my hobbies are of course, not as so outgoing as others. Like I said before, I simply prefer to read and play chess, although I have to say I'm not as good at the latter as I'd like to be. My old landlady used to kick my a—er, kick me down all the time. Despite all my tricks, it seems I was no match for her skills."

"Well, I don't know if you can do the same here. I've been here for some time now and during the few times the students are mostly absent, the staff tend to get together for gatherings like this. Also, you never know, some students might ask you to sponsor a club."

"I suppose so, although I figure they would be better off asking someone else. Why, do you help out with a club?"

"I sponsor the animation club. It's a nice little group that likes to make animated projects and the first years that joined are so ambitious, they'd like to make a fully-fledged animated movie by the time they graduate."

"Ah, I suppose I should have poked around the club recruitment fair to see what was going on. Hmm… is there anything popular with the students right now? I know that I've had a few younger people often make references to 'in' things when trying to describe situations."

"Hmmm…" Sullivan interrupts as she puts her cup down. "There's that web novel, agh, what's it called again?"

"Oh, _Mousorder_?"

"Ah, that's the one. I heard some students chatting about it while I was doing some maintenance the other day for the arena shields. What's it, that's a shortening for _Mousou Order_ , if I remember right. Seems it's attracted quite the crowd."

"I see. I'll have to look into it then." I say, making a mental note to check it out. _Mousou Order…_ wait, _Delusion_ Order? That sounds like a fairly interesting title. "Are you an avid reader of it, Odama-san?"

"Me? I've read part of it, if only to be familiar with the characters, but I haven't really gotten deep into the story. If you don't read a lot of modern novels, you might be slightly put off, but I thought it was nice."

"Ah. I'll have to make an effort to read it then. I'm a bigger fan of the classics. Although, it can't hurt to expand my tastes. Hmm… well, I suppose I can put off my rereading of _The Count of Monte Cristo_."

"Wait, _rereading_?"

"Not a fan?"

"Uwaaaa… I had to read that book for one of my Western literature classes during college."

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Well… it was long. And it was occasionally not very exciting."

"I can see where you're coming from, but I find it still a compelling read."

"A classic tale of vengeance, hm…" Sullivan says off to the side. "How very unlike the persona you've presented to us, eh, Shino-san?"

I give a small snort. "Ha! Isn't that my line, Sullivan-san?"

She gives a small smile. "Perhaps it is."

"Well, I'd advise you not to steal it. Even if it's just a single line, its power in its usage between the two of us should be evident."

Her eyes glitter playfully. "Then raise your voice proudly, let us test it—"

Sullivan stops as Odama lets out a series of three coughs, as if clearing her throat, with her smile being… a _very_ false one. Looks like Odama has some sort of… persona she's hiding, one that seems to cow Sullivan into realizing what she's doing. Sullivan pauses before clearing her throat. "You're pretty good at coming up with lines, Shino-san."

"I used to dabble in some _Pathfinder_ during my first two years at college, although I did occasionally play in my latter years when I had the free time that became exceeding rarely. It's helped me with on the spot thinking."

" _Pathfinder_ , hm? Favorite class?"

"Artificer."

"Oooooh. I favor Sword Saint, archetype of—"

"—Samurai. The guy who got me into the game was a samurai. My second favorite was Investigator."

"Sounds like you. My second favorite was the Vigilante."

"Never played that class, actually."

"Hehe. Well, the staff have a running game, I'm sure we can find a place for you. I'll ask the GM later."

"Who's the GM?"

"Uh, Franchee-san."

"…Oh, hm. I'm already acquainted with him."

"Yeah, we tend to meet on Sundays since most of us have our most time off that day."

"I'll see if my schedule will permit it then. Thank you for the offer."

Odama decides to cut in. "Hmm, perhaps you should visit the animation club, too. Say, couldn't they use a voice like his, Sullivan-san?"

Sullivan doesn't say anything but gives a shrug.

"Hmmm, maybe. I don't know what they'll do, but do you mind lending your voice if they'd like?"

"I'd have to know what lines you'd like for me to say. I'm not so foolhardy as to charge in or give a 'yes' to anything I don't know the details for yet." I say, leaning back before taking another sip of orange soda. "Although, they are free to ask, I just would need some details."

I take a look at my watch. Ah, this late already? Our dinner must have gone on longer than I thought.

"Hm, look at the time." I mutter.

"Past your bedtime?" Odama asks with a smirk, but I choose to simply give a scoff.

"I don't like making a habit of staying up too late. If you'll excuse me."

I down the rest of my soda before standing up from seiza position. "Ah, my legs once again have feeling. I think I'll go for a walk, and then go off to bed. Good night, both of you. It was nice meeting you, and I suspect that perhaps we'll talk again."

"Good night, Shino-san." Odama says while Sullivan nods.

I weave my way through the crowd of people who have various levels of intoxication, avoiding Mazumina who attempts to latch herself onto me in perhaps an attempt to use me as a shield from the _still_ chasing Komine. I brush her away with a chuckle and then exit the room, heading out into the hallway.

Ha… well, that was enjoyable. It's nice to see that there's quite the bunch of enjoyable people here. I guess it was somewhat true when they said "No one _normal_ goes to IS Academy". It seems that the Academy has its own little brand of quirks, but that's true of any place in the world. I'm sure we'll all get along well.

"Oh, leaving so soon?"

"It's almost eleven. I really should get to sleep soon, Orimura-san. Are you heading back to your room as well?"

"I was just about to."

"Ah. Well, I'll go on ahead. I quite doubt that the grand Orimura Chifuyu has any need of an escort late at night."

She snorts at this before walking over to us. "Idiot. Let's go."

"If you wish."

About two minutes after we head outside and are on the path to the staff building, Orimura breaks the silence. "You know, you're not helping yourself when you talk like that."

"I'm sorry, it's just that you remind me of a very old friend of mine. The two of you are incredibly similar, so I just end up reacting that way. I'll try to control myself better, if you want."

"It's fine, but you should just watch yourself. It seems you made quite a few friends tonight."

"Acquaintances are more like it."

"Oh, but you seemed to be getting pretty close to them."

"Jealous that I didn't spend the party with you?"

"Ha! You only wish."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that."

I stop as I look over to the side and find a small beautiful view.

"Shino-san?"

"Sorry." I say, pointing over to the small lake we're walking by. The moon's shining down on it, along with the stars' glitter in the night sky, creating an eerie yet very peaceful view that sparkles on the surface of the lake. It's a full moon, so it's almost as if it's within our grasp as it sits peacefully on the surface of the water, even if it is but a reflection. It's truly something to behold. "…The moon is beautiful tonight."

I pause, hearing Orimura slightly choke on air.

Oh. Oops.

"Ah, my apologies. I forgot the implications of such words, and I compliment your familiarity with Natsume Souseki. But… it's true, isn't it? This full moon, shining down upon the lake as the stars glitter in this clear night."

"…Right. Are you a fan of stargazing?"

"I knew a few astronomers back in college. They'd appreciate a night like this and one of them minored in philosophy and well, he liked to read philosophy out loud on a night like this."

"Oh?"

"To 'give style' to one's character—a great and rare art!" I say, projecting my voice as Orimura walks over to where I am to gaze out over the lake with me. "It is practiced by those who survey all the strengths and weaknesses of their nature and then fit them into an artistic plan until every one of them appears as art and reason and _even_ weaknesses delight the eye."

"Nietzsche?"

"Oh, I wasn't aware you were versed in philosophy."

"I recognize those words. They're a favorite of Sullivan-san, one of the women you were talking to."

"Ah. I'll talk to her then. She didn't strike me as the philosophy type." I say, pulling away from the railing. "We should go back to the staff building now. My apologies. It is getting late, I didn't mean to detour you."

"It's fine. This is the last time to relax before classes start, after all."

"Well, if you say so."

Before we can move, I hear a cry.

"SHINO-SAAAAAAAAAN!"

"I'll take my leave. It seems something troublesome has arrived and I'd rather not deal with it." Orimura says with a smile, slinking off into the darkness as Mazumina is still being chased by Komine. "Good night, Shino-san."

"Good night, Orimura-san. Oi! Still at it, you two?" I ask with a bit of a smile as Mazumina runs and ducks behind me while Komine goes for a line drive. "Wait, Komine-san, slow do—"

I get slammed with a tackle, with all of us falling over.

"Ufufufu, quite bold, are you, Haruna-san?"

It takes her about three seconds to realize our positioning.

With a huff, Komine gets up and then backs away from us as I push myself up, careful not to touch Mazumina in any dangerous places. I help Mazumina up to her feet…

…before twisting her around and then putting her in a hold, my arms reaching under her armpits to lock her in place. Thank you, friends of mine who went into criminal justice and the military, you've taught me a few handy tricks.

"Here you go, Komine-san. All according to plan, right?"

"W-wh-what?! Shino-san, why are you betraying me?!"

"Betrayal implies I was on your side at some point."

"So…" Komine says, stalking over with very oddly-paced steps with the fork in her hand. "I wonder how loud you'll scream, Ma~zu~mi~n~a-sa~n."

"Hawahahwahwaha, spare meeeeeee!"

With that, I let her go, laughing. "Haha, Komine-san, that's some good acting there. Have you been chasing her the entire night?"

Komine giggles as she puts the fork away. "No, it's just that we saw you and decided to play around. Hmhmhmm, watching the moon with Orimura-san, though?"

Oh crap.

"We just happened to be passing by the area at the same time. It's a beautiful lake, isn't it?"

"That it is. This is… my favorite place to make beautiful, after all." Mazumina says with a carefree smile on her face. "It gets pretty messy at times but at the end of the day if the lake looks beautiful, then it's okay. Many students have had inspiration from this view, you know?"

"Well, that's nice to hear. I think I'll come by at the end of the work day more often. It's relaxing. But again, it is getting late. Would you both like to walk to the staff building together, or are you waiting on others?"

"Mmm, no. Let's go then, Haruna-san."

The three of us then begin the walk into the staff building, although it is rather dodgy seeing as I apparently have a lot to answer for in regard to Orimura. It seems the two of us have suddenly become a massive gossip target tonight, considering my interactions with her and that I'm also the most recent in terms of working days.

"I wouldn't have thought of you as the sassy type." Komine says as we walk along the hallway together, as Mazumina lives two floors below us. "Though you know, some people outside IS Academy wouldn't take so nicely to you."

"Well, pardon me for treating her as a human being and not as a physical goddess among mortals." I reply back, getting a chuckle from Komine. She stops at a door along the hallway as I continue walking. "Ah, that's your room then. Good night then, Komine-san."

"Good night, Shino-san."

I continue my walk to my room and unlock it with my key before stepping inside and locking the door. Tonight was a very good night. But I suppose it may very well be the calm before the storm. After all… classes begin in two days.

…Well certainly, the first day can't be all _that_ chaotic, can it?

* * *

 **Oh Galen, you really shouldn't tempt fate.**

 **So, had some fun creating several staff members, going for a mix of sorts with: the head cook, a gardener, maintenance staff, and teachers, each with their own quirks and possible affiliations. Orimura's introduction was very short, but I felt that I didn't** _ **really**_ **need to elaborate on it, just give Galen some time to understand him. And, if you saw, he read right through Ichika's ruse, as it's implied (or outright stated) he acts dense so no one gets their feelings super-hurt if he makes a choice.**

 **Tried to use the staff party to characterize Galen in a more casual feeling. Here, he can keep his professionalism but relax, as you see in his interactions with the various characters. Also, penalty game for him. That was a fun little scene, having Galen fake that he doesn't understand what they mean. Originally I was going to have him sing, but nah.**

 **If it seems Galen's interests were everywhere, well, truthfully it is somewhat based on my own experience. College gives you a lot more freedom, as for myself in my first year alone, I picked up work, did well in classes, and ran around with several clubs. Galen's experience somewhat reflects that, and also it gave me a way for him to relate to other characters. I tried to give them all an air of mystery, in that you didn't quite know everything about them yet. I felt this worked best with Odama and Sullivan, but not so much Mazumina and Komine, who don't have as much screen time but have what I thought were a little stronger scenes, showing their ability to fool around with each other as they don't need to have as much professionalism as say, a professor. They also gave me some archetypes to start building on that I don't play around with often. I hope you'll allow me some time to further develop them, as similarly, Galen has only met them and doesn't know too much about them.**

 **As for when Galen notes "The moon is beautiful", that's a fairly simple explanation. If you don't require it, good on you. But, if you don't, then here's the explanation: There's a rather well-known but still unconfirmed (as far as I know) story about the Japanese novelist Natsume Souseki. It's said that when he was an English teacher, someone made a quite literal translation of "I love you" and he said that a Japanese person would never say something so unromantic and to instead, translate it as "The moon sure is beautiful". Correct me if I have messed something up, but that is the story as far as I can remember. tl;dr: "The moon is beautiful" = "I love you", which is why Chifuyu chokes on air when he says it as it caught her by surprise considering that he would probably know what it means and why Galen quickly corrects himself.**

 **Anyways, I believe that is all the explaining I wish to do. I hope you enjoyed today's chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**WOW THIS TOOK A LOOONG TIME TO DO. It's almost like I forgot this project existed and** _ **uh I definitely didn't forget about it nor get to planning another Infinite Stratos project because Rebuild and Helios are currently in development Hell**_ **nope.**

 **Haha, anyways, I do apologize for taking so _damn long_ to update this. I lost my spark as you might know from my notes in Armored Hearts, but I'm back. I had this chapter like 1/3 of the way written and then dropped it off, came back 6 months later and fucking wrote the rest in the span of like 2 days. So, here we are. I hope I've managed to preserve all the characterizations, so here we go.**

 **Edit v1.1: Oops, gotta add replies to reviews.**

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov:** It's gooood to be back, and thanks for your review. I tried to keep the relationship between Galen and Chifuyu somewhat alive, although I do have to hold back because Galen imposes a very professional mindset on himself and of course, has been seen with very little desire to start a relationship. More notes on that at the bottom, if you want.

 **Neovilus Alpheim:** Haha, yeah it was fun playing around with Galen's dialogue. It's a lot more fun that usual since rather than just writing sort of like, a teenage mindset (as I've done with most of my stories), I can try to emulate a more sophisticated and nuanced mind with Galen in regard to talking with adults as he's not a kid. So, instead of seeing Chifuyu as say, a teacher figure/older figure to them, when writing with Galen I can treat her as an equal to him as they are coworkers, allowing the playful and witty (or so I would like to call it that XD) banter between them. Thanks for reading!

 **Alright, well, that takes care of that. Really, this chapter's been on the burner for so long, but...**

 **Welcome back.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

 _What the hell_.

That is all I have to say to the current situation I hear during my lunch break, where I decided I would buy something nice to celebrate the first day of classes from the cafeteria.

The current situation of course, is that **Orimura Ichika has apparently challenged a Representative Candidate to a grudge match for the position of class representative.**

I almost have to resist the urge to give a long sigh, but my professionalism won't allow for it.

"What's wrong, Shino-san?" Komine says as she walks out to the counter.

"Oh, I just realized I may have overlooked something."

"That's not good, is it?"

"No, because making errors is a terrible thing." I say, receiving my boxed meal. "Thank you, Komine-san."

"Hehe, it's nothing much."

"Though I thought that the normal cashier would have been working today."

"Oh, well, it just so happened that I was in charge of preparing the finishing touches to your meal and you looked so perplexed when I checked outside that I thought I'd see if anything was wrong."

"Ah, thank you very much for the thought. You needn't concern yourself though, it's nothing I can't fix."

"Well, if there's anyone who can solve that oversight, I'm sure it's you. Thank you for your patronage, and please come again!"

"I will."

With that, I leave the cafeteria and head back to my office. Haaaa… Orimura, what the hell were you thinking? Should I call him to my office…? No, I need to give him some time. If I call him right away, his emotions will still cloud his judgement. I will give him some time to decide if he has made the right choice. One, two days will suffice before I ask him to come down and talk about the situation.

As I'm sitting here, I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in, it's open."

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"Ah, Tsuketa-san." I say as she enters the room. Today, she's dressed in tan slacks and a light grey blouse with a white coat on top. I do a quick scan for any accessories and find she's wearing a ring on her left hand and a small pendant with a blue jewel on it. "What brings you here today?"

"I was on my lunch break and wanted to check if you had those documents for me."

"Oh yes…" I look through my desk's cabinets and find the red folder and take it out. "Here you go, the third years that I thought had some slight risks to them, all sorted out."

"Thank you," she says as she takes the folder. "Oh, did you hear about Orimura Ichika?"

I hesitate to respond, but she giggles.

"Well, I can see that you have based on your facial reactions. So, wanna join the betting pool?"

"I don't think I will. I wasn't aware that there was one. Also… I'm pretty sure the odds are stacked against Orimura. Do you honestly expect him to win?"

"Well, I only bet five hundred yen on Orimura. I won't lose much and if I win, well, hehhehheh, I'll easily have made quite a bit of money."

"Riiiiight. Well, if you win, buy me a drink, will you?"

"Ha! Will do. Thanks for the documents, I'll see you later, Shino-san."

"Take care, Tsuketa-san." I say, looking back at my computer. "Ha… I suppose that I can expect either Alcott or Shinonono to come in here. I should prepare for that."

Though, I need to eat my lunch first.

Opening up the boxed meal, I find… huh, this looks a little… over-done, but in a different sense. As in, a lot more effort went into it than a regular meal. The beef cuts look very well spiced, and the peanut sauce with the salad looks better than anything that I've ever made. I wonder if Komine made this herself.

"Haa… wow, I should thank her for this meal, later."

She did help with the finishing touches, but the way this seems, it's similar to her food from the party the other day. This was something she really put her heart into. Really do like your cooking, huh? Maybe I should search my recipe book from my mother for something that would be appealing to her. Something traditional… I guess I have a bit of Italian blood in me. Hmm… some _Stracotto al Chianti_ might work, although getting my hands on some wine might be tricky. Perhaps I can use my connection with Komine to get it. Maybe with it, I can pair some _Pappa al Pomodoro._ A good match. And then, for the end, some classic tiramisu.

Ah… that's fairly nostalgic. There were the much-looked-forward-to "Italian Nights" that Ushio loved, which reminds me, I need to reply to her letter. Such a good girl, really. She's gotten an internship too.

"So much to do, so little time." I mutter, writing _Plan Italian Night_ on my to-do list. "And—"

My door opens up to the point I can hear it almost slam where it should stop.

And it's Shinonono. AS expected.

"Ichika-san is out of his mind."

"Oh, is that what you wanted to talk about? Please, close the door."

Shinonono does so before sitting down in a huff. "He's crazy. I'd like to support him as a friend, but… I don't know. I just want to try to discourage him…"

I watch her face carefully. There's something she's hiding.

"But, you've done something that you can't take back, have you?" I say, reaching over and grabbing a pen and a notepad. "And you're locked in now?"

At this, Shinonono blushes, but I choose not to react to it. I suppose she did something on impulse. She also starts fidgeting, making me think she wants to say something, but she's having a rough time deciding. Pretty restless… alright, well, take a breath.

"Would you like to explain…?"

"Um…"

"You don't have to, but it would help me get a better grasp on the situation. Also…" I hold up my fingers on my right hand. "Calm down. You're emotional, and right now you need to take a step back, and think."

Shinonono takes a breath, watching me count down from five. "Ha… ha… ha… Okay."

"Good, you've calmed down. You seemed to be quite in a rush to get here, so I imagine that you suddenly found yourself in this situation and want some guidance in order to help your friend. Now… would you like to explain?"

"…Do you promise not to laugh?"

"Of course."

"…An upperclassmen came up to him, because he and Alcott were going to have a battle. We were talking about having me train him when she came up and started being really forward about it and… I may have thrown my last name as authentication of my skills out because… I didn't want him to get lured away."

Didn't want to get him lured away… ah. Quite attached to him, are you?

"I see. And now, you're locked into helping him as it would be very hypocritical to suddenly turn around and say 'apologize to her because you're probably going to lose'."

"Yes…"

"Well, I suppose I could say instead of weaseling your way out of things, take it in stride. All you have to do is make sure his battle isn't a complete flop, yes?"

"W-well, I guess that's an option."

"Then, there you are. I'm not saying believe that Ichika can actually well, _win._ It's incredibly doubtful that he will. There's no shame in rooting for an underdog, though. Besides, I can imagine that most people are thinking he's going to lose. You're his friend, correct?"

"Of course!"

"Friends are there so we have someone to lean on. Be Orimura's for this incident. I'm sure you'll find it much more rewarding if you legitimately believe in his capabilities if you give everything you have to train and see how he does. Victory can be found, even in defeat. One can lose the battle, but win the war."

"Ah…"

"Feel better about your choice?"

"Yes… um, what would you suggest I do then?"

"Well, I'm not very well versed in IS training. Um, well, you'd be better off asking a teacher. You have…"

"Orimura-sensei."

"Oh. Hm, your assistant teacher?"

"Yamada-sensei."

I try not to bite my lip. "You can ask them, but if you feel their information and guidance isn't enough, I can suggest you to someone else. Well, either way, it's you're there for him. Orimura needs as many of those kinds of people as he can get. I won't lie to you, Shinonono, as you have seen it for yourself, have you not? There are plenty of women who would treat Orimura like scum just based on the fact he's a male. You're someone who isn't like that, and I'm sure that Orimura greatly appreciates that, and he'll need as many people like you."

"A-ah."

"I'm sure you'll feel better about it later, as well, if you don't hesitate. So give him a hand, and while it seems insane now, it might not be as bad as you think."

"…Do you think he can win?"

"I love a good underdog story, but I still stay in reality. Alcott, from what I know and have heard from the students so far, is incredibly haughty. She'll be expecting to mop the floor with Orimura. That's dangerous for anyone, because all it takes is being too confident before you come crashing down. By the way, hold on a second. I'll write you a pass just in case you're late to class."

I write a quick note and sign it, handing it to her, pardoning her for going over her time for lunch break.

"Shino-hakase?" she says after taking the note. "Can I ask you a question, in the place of Ichika-san? He's a little afraid to ask it directly to you."

"Go ahead, Shinonono-san." I say, putting my pen back in its holder before my hands return to my keyboard.

"Is the rumor that you said 'The moon is beautiful' to Orimura-sensei true?"

I blink twice, realizing what she just asked.

"…No?" I say in a half-questioning response, trying to look irritated as I rub my temples. "Can I know who you heard this from? Seriously, saying such a _troublesome_ thing…"

"Some other girls were talking about it."

I let out a hefty sigh before shaking my head. "No, I didn't say it. Someone must have heard something and mangled it. You know how it goes. I'd appreciate it, Shinonono, if you would at least mitigate this rumor by not repeating it."

"All right, Shino-hakase. Thank you for the discussion today."

"Always here for all of you. Close the door on your way out. Have a good rest of the day in class."

As soon as she leaves and closes the door, I slump back in my chair and give a _long_ sigh. Haaaaaaa… wow, I did not anticipate needing to follow my own advice that I gave to Ichika. Note to self, I'm going to have to deal with Mazumina later. I suspect her the most about spreading that sort of thing. Now all that's left to do is extract the truth from her eventually.

Either way, it can wait. I still need to finish my meal. Sorry it got slightly cold, Komine-san. Either way… I guess it's time to eat.

Afterwards, I finish up the meal and put it aside, going back to what my intended plan was, which was to read up on Alcott. Seriously, how the hell did someone like her _ever_ pass the psych eval for pilots…? You'd figure that countries would want someone who represents their nation and is diplomatic to all people… but then again, I guess that due to the way society has changed, they wouldn't mind having someone who's incredibly haughty towards men in general and I'm guessing based on her circumstances, she sort of just flew through the checks without a hard look. They haven't had their general classes yet, but I can't wait to hear the stories.

Still though… I suppose that she _is_ mentally stable and not prone to snapping, but I can't help but wonder who the other candidates were.

Oh well, I guess it's not my place to judge now. I'd have liked to meet whoever cleared her eval, though. Might be a bit of an adventure, even. I _should_ however, prepare to eventually have to deal with her as I have a feeling I might.

The rest of the day passes without incident. I really only wish that this insanity hadn't happened, but I suppose it's a good chance for Shinonono and Orimura to test and strengthen their friendship during the time they're just meeting each other once again.

Huh… well, I didn't prepare anything for dinner, so I need to go and get dinner from the cafeteria. I know it stays open fairly late for staff, so I should be able to lock up at the end of my shift and then head to the cafeteria.

"Well, it's the first few days," I mutter, getting up as I stand up from my seat at eight ten. "I guess it's a good thing that no one's rushing in here."

It takes me a few minutes to shut off and lock down everything in the room, after which I grab my backpack with my books, laptop, and a few writing supplies and head out the door at roughly eight twenty. Looking around, I find that there's no one coming and no evidence of footsteps, so I confidently lock up.

Hmmm… I wonder, what's for dinner…

I find out when I walk into the cafeteria, which is devoid of students save for a few third years wrapping up their meals. A few of the staff members are here, some of which wave to me.

"Oh, Shino-san!"

I look, finding Odama waving to me from across the room. I cross the distance and strike up a conversation. "Good evening, Odama-san. How was today?"

"It was nice. Picking up dinner?"

"Yes."

"Well, this table's open."

"Ah. If you don't mind my intrusion, then." I say, putting my backpack in the area across from her. "Excuse me."

With that, I go over to the counter and examine what they have available. Hmm, it does look like they have a nice selection tonight. Hmmm, I'm feeling something with soup tonight.

"Know what you'd like?" Komine's voice says as I take a step back from the menu, finding she came out from behind the kitchens, probably seeing that someone was here.

"I'll take the _katsu udon ,_ nothing else." I reply, taking out my wallet.

"Alright. Cash or your ID?"

"ID," I say, taking out my ID card with the bar stripe on the back and handing it to her. Komine slides the card through the scanner before handing it back to me. "How was your day, Komine-san?"

"It was very good." She says, handing me the printed meal ticket. "It's slow tonight, so you don't need to wait here. You're sitting with Odama-san, right?"

"Yep."

"Someone will bring your meal to you, so make sure you talk to her, okay?" Komine says with a knowing smile before going back into the kitchens.

"Yes, yes." I say, putting my card and wallet away before going over to the vending machines. Hmm… not in the mood for coffee, nor for tea. Let's see… well, there is some cola here. No orange soda, but I guess it'll have to do. Cherry flavored or not… no, I don't think I'll take that. Let's see… well, looks like I'm going with just plain cola.

I take out a bit of change and input it before selecting my drink. The can tumbles out to the bottom, where I retrieve it.

With that, I head back to Odama, who's slowing chewing through her noodles. "Back."

She finishes chewing what food's in her mouth before she downs a bit of tea. "Welcome back. Thought you would've taken a bit more time with Komine-san at the counter."

"Are you intending to imply something?" I reply back without missing a beat, Odama letting out a small chuckle.

"I guess you would be able to handle something smoothly like that." She mumbles, slouching back in her chair. "Oh, I heard you're not on the Orimura-Alcott betting pool."

"That's not something I'm really interested in. Isn't that really quite unprofessional, too?"

"Hey, we need to have our fun sometimes somehow."

"I guess." I say, leaning against the back of my chair. "So, that begs the question of whose side you're on."

"Hehhehheh, that's a secret~"

I give a small scoff. "Alright."

"Mou, you're no fun."

"I can already tell you don't intend to tell me no matter what. Not unless I do something drastic for you, which I have no intent of doing."

Odama gives a small pout. "No openings, huh?"

"Are you looking for one?" I ask back, getting a small (if not slightly sadistic grin) from Odama. Ha…

"Everyone has an opening, Shino-san. Ufufufu~"

Note to self, Odama is incredibly dangerous. She again shows signs of that _one_ dominatrix client I got stuck with… and would really not like to remember.

"That's a bit of a chilling laugh you have there."

"O~ho. Are you scared of me, Shino-san?"

Hmmm… what would be the proper response? Ah.

"No, it's just rather that I found the domineering, cold queen, half-sadistic laugh quite unfitting on someone who looked so inviting and kind as you." I say, flashing a small smile.

Odama seizes up before sinking her head, her red hair covering her face. Did it work? Hm. I'll have to thank Greg (old womanizer, he was my roommate freshman year) if I see him again for that trick.

"I-is that so…" she stammers out, still not looking up.

"Um… did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to offend you if that's the case…"

"N-no! You didn't say anything wrong, but um…" Odama picks up her head and twirls her hair with her hand. "You just caught me off guard, that's all. Ahahahaha…"

With that, Odama goes back to eating in silence. I may have overdone it.

Ten awkward minutes of silence later, a bowl of food or _two_ was put in front of me.

"Oh, I thought I only ordered one."

"My assistants pushed me out again… they're being so troublesome. May I sit with you?"

I nod, scooting over in the booth to make room for Komine, who takes a seat. She also has katsu udon.

"Let's eat." We say together, breaking our disposable chopsticks.

"So, Komine-san, why do your assistants keep pushing you out? Has this happened before?"

"Well… they do it occasionally. Mainly when I take over quite a bit and they feel as if they're not doing enough work."

"Ah. Enjoying your work is nice, but overworking yourself isn't any good."

"Hehe. You're the last person I thought I'd hear that fun."

"Oh, come now. Just because I spend most of my time in my office doesn't mean I'm _over_ working myself." I say, earning a chuckle from Komine. "And if your own assistants are chasing you out, doesn't that say something about you admonishing me?"

Komine gives a smile. "Maybe."

The two of us get back to eating while Odama seems to study us intensely. I try not to mind it, though Komine seems a little self-conscious as she tries not to attract a lot of attention to herself. Every so often, Odama gives a hum as she takes another bite, probably just to spook Komine.

"Um, Odama-san, is there something on my face?" Komine asks, taking a napkin and rubbing her mouth. "Is it still there?"

"Oh, no. I just thought that it was nice, watching you two eat the same meal. Did you prepare that udon yourself?"

"I did…? What of it, Odama-san?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Your tone definitely doesn't make it sound like nothing." I mutter, with Komine nodding in agreement.

"No, it really is nothing. Ah, look at the time. I should be off, I have to go practice those lines for the girls, and all that. Have a good night, both of you."

Before either of us can raise a complaint, Odama takes her leave, having already finished her food a while back. I hold back a sigh while Komine just looks on with a look of dull surprise.

"Does Odama-san pull things like this very often?"

Komine turns her head and gives me a small grin. "I think it would be safe to say that she is a very whimsical person, Shino-san."

"Ah, I see."

"Shino-san, may I ask you a question?" Komine asks before taking a sip of her tea.

"Go ahead."

"I couldn't help but be curious about your name and heritage. Shino-san. I noticed it on your card that _Shino_ is written with kanji while _Galen_ is written in hiranga."

"Ah, that. Well, my father was Japanese and my mother was Italian, they met on a cruise liner in the US. They were in similar circumstances; both dragged aboard by their friends who were all married save for them. Well… I suppose the rest is history. At an early age, I was brought into the culture of both of my parents. Since my mother took my father's name, I would eventually learn how to write it both in English and in Japanese."

"Mhm. So, what do the characters of your family name mean? I didn't quite get a clear read on them."

"The first character means aspires, hopes, motive, or resolve. The second one means civilian life, amusingly enough."

"Hehehe, isn't that fitting?"

"I was thinking it would be more fitting for the first character for 'shi' to be the one that meant faith, fidelity, and trust." I say with a shrug. "It fits far more with my field."

"That it does. Though, that does answer my question of your heritage. You're a very hard person to pin down."

"Perhaps. I've been told I don't really fit any profile, though I lean slightly more towards a Caucasian look." I say before taking a sip of my cola. "Although, I suppose you were raised in Kyoto, Komine-san?"

"Was it the kimono?"

"My father always talked about his childhood friends and how for the girls, they always seemed to be in kimonos. He'd say 'Son, one day we'll go to Kyoto and you'll see all the beautiful girls in kimonos', and occasionally joked about marrying me off, to which my mother would give him nasty looks."

"Your father sounds like an amusing person."

"He really is, actually. I don't think I would have developed as much of a sense of humor without him."

"Though it seems that he didn't make much of a difference."

I catch what that means instantly, giving an eye roll.

"Ha! It seems you've got some sharpness in you. Oh, though, I suppose I should ask something, though. Do you mind if I visit the kitchens some time to cook? You mentioned it before, although I suppose some recipes take a while to do."

"Oh, well… there are student breaks when we're not really on duty as much. I'll let you know if we have a free day."

"All right. I had a few recipes in mind, actually." I say before finishing off the rest of my udon, matching in time with Komine. "Shall we go return these?"

"Of course."

The two of us put away our dishes. "Well, that was a nice break, but I think I need to go back to work and wrap up for the night. Good night, Shino-san."

"Good night, Komine-san." I say, heaving my backpack as I walk back through the doors leading out the cafeteria, where I hear Komine shouting in the background about how they really need to let her keep working, she likes cooking, and all of that.

Such an interesting woman. Dad would've been proud if she was his daughter. Well… I suppose I should call home, too. Even though I'm a doctorate, my parents still want me to call home every now and then. Considering where I am, I'm sure it's just checking that I'm not about to go into rehab. Or become a monk.

Hmm… seeing the Alcott-Orimura debacle should serve to be interesting. I'd like to root for the underdog, although I suppose I should gather some more details. No one's seemed to explain why exactly the showdown is going on. I'll talk to Orimura about it later and see what he has to say. I need a better grasp on situation just in case either of them comes to me, though. It can't help to put my ear into the rumor mill…

* * *

As I have said before, I really, _really_ would like to meet whoever cleared Alcott's psych eval. Possibly to slap them for doing such a piss-poor job at it. Honestly, the girl has several aggression issues and an _overblown_ ego. And, for one, an _extremely_ poor world view. I sense much sheltering as a child, although if her files are anything to note, she did come from a dysfunctional home. Losing both parents and not having anyone to really care for her probably didn't help.

It's likely she didn't have anyone to act as a role model. Or at least, a positive one. Haaa… it's strange, really. Her mother was always very busy and was apparently quite strict. Her father was a very meek person and then with the rise of the IS, was made even more so. You could call it dysfunctional, but it certainly wasn't abusive in that sense. They functioned as a family, but the father and mother acted separately.

So, it stands that with that set up, her world view on men was hammered in. But on that fateful day, her parents that were always apart were together. And they died. Railway accident. Caused her to have to defend her inheritance. _And_ if the documents are anything to believe, she hasn't had any _fucking_ counseling for this! And yet, whoever was looking at her profile signed her on anyways without a doubt! They didn't have a delayed acceptance! Something like, "yes, she fits all the criteria and we will take her on board, provided she goes through a counseling program". At least have her see a doctor, a trained professional on this thing.

If I had the documents on her mother, I would definitely check to see if this pattern of behavior where Alcott did not seek counsel matches up with her mother. What I'm getting so far is that Alcott's mother has definitely been figure to follow for her. Unfortunately I'm not really in a position to ask for those documents. I don't want to put Alcott on the spot either, so I can't just call her in and ask questions.

Haaaaaa… well, whatever. The Orimura-Alcott incident.

Let's break it down.

Class Representative elections, or should I say nominations, were that day. Someone voted up Orimura Ichika despite all evidence he was completely unsuitable for the position. His sister, being the ever present voice of reason (I say that with _much_ sarcasm for this incident), told him that the nominated should have been ready and that he could not refuse the position even though he knew he was unqualified.

Alcott then decides this will not stand by her. Calling Orimura a _rare monkey_ , she then claimed her ability should grant her the position.

Now is the fun part. Orimura decides he's not going to take this lying down. But he's smart. He doesn't take a direct approach. He doesn't say anything about being better than her pilot wise. He insults _her culture._ By citing that England had had the worst cuisine for a while now.

Oh yes. Quite the low blow.

Needless to say, this drove Alcott up a wall. It then ended with Orimura offering a match (I suspect he wasn't thinking anymore), in which his thoughts of a man being able to beat a woman in this age were regarded as a complete joke. Such unfortunate minds, having been consumed by this society.

Haaa… This is ridiculous. Really…

"You look like you're ready to strangle something."

"Do I? I should fix that for the students." I say, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, Tsuketa-san. I don't think it would have been wise to have students come in while I had such an expression on my face. Sorry, what were we talking about again? I got distracted."

"Nothing much, we were just killing some time before I had to get back to work. I was a bit curious about your office, too."

"The person holding this position changes quite frequently, correct?"

"Mmm. And every single one has had a different style. Yours is nice. Simplistic, but still homey. The red carpet is a _really_ nice touch with the walls."

"Hmph. Not exactly _original_ wording." I reply back. "I was thinking a small jukebox, if not a record player."

"Ooh, classy. I supposed you've quickly established a reputation for being slightly old-fashioned."

"Perhaps it was because I was made well aware of the biases in my particular field that I overcompensated. Regardless, it has brought me this far, so I've no intent to stop."

"Well, if you get a record player, I'll be sure to bring around something for you to play."

"I'm looking at a few models, but they're all too sleek and more importantly, metallic. And I'd rather not shell out too much to get a custom one built that matches the old style look. A jukebox on the other hand, well, that's a lot easier to slip in."

"What, does shiny chrome not do it for you?"

"Considering the woodwork and finish of the office, not really." I say while checking my schedule for today. "Ah, you should probably get going. I have an appointment with a student today."

"Yes, yes, I'll be going now. Oh, and by the way, Orimura-san's favorite fruit is clem—"

"God _dammit_ I hate this rumor mill." I grumble back, cutting off Tsuketa who leaves with a hearty laugh. Honestly, it's as she said. High school never ends, not with all of this crap happening.

I take another deep breath, steadying myself. I can't let myself be bested that easily. Now, to calm down and wait.

* * *

The student wasn't in any particular trouble or anything, but she was just worried because she's afraid she's going to do poorly and the classes themselves seem intimidating. I knew this sort of thing would come up, so I had already made myself familiar with the curriculum and the grading scheme and was able to give her some confidence in herself.

Of course, this was a pretty usual case. She had always lived with sort of 'helicopter parents', so everything seemed to collapse without them. I also provided her with student tutor numbers and also suggested she get in touch with her teacher if she found she was suddenly struggling.

Two days later, I had Orimura come in and talk about what exactly was going through his head.

"Um… well," he says when I probe him about why he suddenly spiked up against her. "I just didn't want to take things sitting down. I didn't think I'd go that far, things just went out of control. I didn't really mean to challenge her to a battle but after she called me a monkey I… I sort of lost it and while I was sort of trying to deflect it away from a fight I lost my head."

I nod, writing down a few notes.

"Maybe I should apologize…"

"Did you do something wrong?" I ask.

"E-eh? Well, not really… it's just well, all of this. Maybe I could stop this craziness."

"I see. I've had my ear in the rumor mill, I hear you've been training rather hard for it. Speak your mind, Orimura, I am not here to judge you, but rather just give you advice and help you along the way if you believe yourself to be struggling. Whatever path you choose, I am only here to give you a little shove if you doubt yourself."

"Shino-hakase…"

"Oh, though I should mention that of course, I _do_ technically judge."

"Um…"

I make a small hand gesture as if to wave away any concern. "It's a natural thing, Orimura. Everyone judges, you needn't be ashamed. I won't change my behavior because of it though—that would be very unprofessional. Although it would be a shame for you to throw away all of your work. And, if I am reading Alcott's personality correctly, apologizing wouldn't be the best thing to do."

"Could you explain?"

"Well, from what I've seen, apologizing to Alcott will make sure you _never_ live it down."

"What about losing?"

"She'll probably forget it. It'll be the obvious outcome, so it's nothing special. You'd have to deal with it for a while, but she'd probably forget about it. But if you managed to at least put her on the ropes once, it'll cause _quite_ the cognitive dissonance and I'm sure her attitude may improve. Either way, it's up to you. Your match is tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, Shino-hakase."

"Well, I suppose I'll spare some time and watch."

"Do you think I can win?"

"Do you want the honest answer or the good answer?"

"I guess that means you're not confident."

"Orimura, let me be frank. You're going up against essentially a trained professional. This is like the nine year old kid who picked up how to swing a tennis racket challenging the champion of Wimbledon. The best you can do is really put on a good enough show to not humiliate yourself. Of course, I do not mean to discourage you. Sometimes life will throw the most ridiculous of challenges at you and you must learn to deal with them. Not everything will be easy and there are times you will be beaten into the dirt. _But_ the important part is you get up."

"Mmm!"

"Good. Well, don't tell anyone, but I'll be rooting for you. I like a good underdog."

"Shino-hakase, um, thank you."

"It's nothing, really. It's just my job to help you all get through these years with a good head on your shoulders. If you ever need help or someone to talk to, I am always here. That part about undergods is off the record though, right?"

"Of course!"

"Good. Now, go and do your best. That's all anyone is ever asking for now."

"For now?"

"Another time, Orimura. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. Stop by again and perhaps I'll tell you another tale." I say with a small grin as he gets up. "Unless you have something very major to tell me. I will tolerate whatever heat I get for being late if there is something you must tell me."

"No, nothing major like that, Shino-hakase." He says, not expressing any movements that would give away a lie or hesitation. "Thank you for your advice."

"Anytime, Orimura. Good luck out there."

Yes… for now. For now, while you're in effectively high school, all anyone's asking is that you give your best. It gets a lot rougher from then on out. And sometimes your best just isn't good enough, however cliché that sounds.

"Of course, if what you think your best is isn't actually your best… then it doesn't matter in the end, right Rashein?" I mutter to no one in particular before shaking my head. I need to prepare my meeting though.

The meeting isn't anything major. Just a weekly meeting with the medical staff about prescriptions and for any orders that they need. I'm only there to say if there's been sudden patterns in students that would help the school's psychiatrist determine if there's any particular drug they need to order in anticipation.

For the most part I just get to sit there and listen in on their medical babble, mentally checking myself to see how much I actually remembered from all those med classes.

As soon as it's over, I immediately pack up and head over to my office, where I see no slips have been left through the mail slot regarding seeing me. I then check my messages and give a sigh of relief, as no one had called me on the office phone number or on the mobile phone I specifically got for taking student calls while I'm not at my office. I will not tolerate leaving any student alone, not while I am capable of giving them assistance.

"Is everything okay?"

I look up, finding Mazumina looking through the door.

"Oh, yes, everything's fine. Just in a bit of a hurry." I say, coughing before sitting down. "Did you need something, Mazumina-san? Or are you just here to tease me some more?"

"I just came to check on you. I was making my rounds on campus and saw you almost running to your office."

"Ah. Well, I was just concerned that perhaps a student was here and urgently needed me while I was away for a meeting." I reply back, leaning in my chair. "I don't have any meetings or appointments for the rest of the day. If you'd like to chat, I don't mind."

"No, no. I still have some work to do, just checking in on you. Don't overwork yourself, you hear? Haruna-san would be disappointed."

"I don't think how much I work should have any bearing on Komine-san's mood."

She flashes a teasing grin. "You know what I mean~"

"…Right. Well, I apologize for causing you any undue stress at seeing me so worried."

"Well, you _are_ the newest hire in the position that changes out the most. It would be worrying to see you already so stressed this early in the year."

"Ah, I see, I see. No need to worry about me, I'll be just fine. If anything I was more worried I would have failed to catch a student, not the job itself."

She gives a soft grin. "You really do look out for the students, don't you?"

"It's my job, isn't it?" I say back, adjusting my tie.

"It's more than that though, right?"

I give her an incredulous look. "…Of course it's more than that. Everyone has reasons for going into their professions."

"Hmmhmm, can I know what your reason is sometime?"

"You can," I say, taking out a folder from a drawer to my side. "As in, you are fully capable of knowing and understanding the reason. The real question is whether or not I will give it to you."

"How did I know you'd say something like that?" she asks with a grin on her face.

"Because I'm not a very complex person." I fire back.

"Hehehe, that's true. Well, take care then, Shino-san. I'll leave you for now."

"Have a good rest of your day, Mazumina-san."

With that, the door gives a nice clicking sound as she leaves.

Haaaa, whatever. I suppose I should prepare some spreadsheets or make a report template so that way I can have some actual numbers when I have those meetings. I know enough statistics that I can check if it's statistically significant or not, anyways. God knows that my statistics professor back in college beat the knowledge into my head.

Hmm, too easy to read, huh? But then again, if there's one thing I was never good at hiding, it was my motivation for going into this field. Ha… I was hoping to hide it for a little bit longer, but I suppose that I couldn't obscure it forever.

The rest of the day is oddly quiet, but I suppose that it's the mounting tension for tomorrow's battle. I suppose I might as well watch, it seems like Orimura might—

* * *

I honestly don't know whether to clap or to sink my head into my hands.

 _That_ close. I suspect that if his weapon is anything like his older sister's, it's that the shield drain is really what knocked him out. He most likely got lost in the blur of the moment and it went right over his head.

Of course, I can't comment on his piloting. It just doesn't seem right for a person who can't even fly like that to say anything. But it's still a marvel to see him go. To think that we might fly around in a suit straight out of science fiction, it's still breathtaking.

"I didn't expect you to be out here."

"Oh, Franchee-san." I say, waving over to the professor who's walking over to me. "I couldn't help but be interested. Quite the spectacle, isn't it?"

"Yes. Orimura's perhaps a novice, but it seems he took to flight quite nicely."

"Speaking from some sort of vicarious experience?"

"My niece, actually. She graduated from Canada's own version of IS Academy. Not as prestigious, but certainly good enough to get her into the forces. She was quite terrible at flying for her first three months and here we are, watching Orimura soar on his maiden flight, or so I hear it is."

"A bit anticlimatic with the end though. He managed to get so far and then… well, you know how it went."

"Indeed." he says, crossing his arms. "A bit disappointing. I'd like to have seen him win myself."

"Were you betting on him?" I ask, looking at Alcott who hasn't moved the entire time despite Orimura already having retreated to his hangar a good ten minutes ago.

"Ha! Well, I happen to like rooting for the underdog, but I suppose that a thousand yen isn't too much to lose."

I give a small snort.

Franchee chuckles. "Did you bet on Alcott?"

"I didn't bet at all, actually. I didn't think it was right to place a bet on a student's performance. Seemed too unprofessional."

"Well, we all like to have our fun in different ways and something like this rarely shows its head. It happens all the time, especially with the inter-class tournaments. Sometimes the headmaster even gets in on it. Anyways, seems that this was a mess and you were partially with it or so I hear. How are you holding up?"

"Decently. I foresee no problems in the future. Other than a few special cases, but those aren't difficult to deal with. And, of course, if incidents like this with Orimura don't happen every other day, things should go well."

"Sounds good."

"Oh, I phoned one of my old colleagues the other day. She might be visiting Japan for a conference and wanted to know if she could meet you."

"Ohoho, perhaps if I can spare some time. It's early in the year after all, so it won't be difficult to leave on a Sunday. Do you know what she's researching?"

"I'm not quite sure about that, but I'll ask her. However, it seems she's building off your research for something regarding the IS, since she mentioned she wanted to talk to you specifically if possible."

"Hmm. Well, she seems diligent. What was her name again?"

"Alisha Nostrein."

"Nostrein…" His eyes light up. "It may very well be _that_ Nostrein. I heard of a Nostrein who was modeling the IS' core and its "thought process" of sorts that goes through it using some sort of wave equation that works with symmetry of differential equations. Hmhm, I'll have to see, but I believe a meeting would be wonderful. I don't suppose you could give her my contact info?"

"I'll forward it to her, then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I should head out. I'd like to congratulate Orimura on his performance today."

I head over to an entrance of the arena that I'm sure is the closest to the student dorms and wait there, looking over the sea. It's in the late afternoon, so the sun is already setting, providing a gorgeous scene as the sun sparkles just over the edge of the horizon, lighting up the sea with a burning orange. It certainly wasn't a lie when they said this place has some of the best views. It's almost like an island getaway… of sorts.

"Shino-san, didn't expect you here." A voice calls, knocking me out of my thoughts.

I look over to my right and find Orimura Chifuyu walking down the path. I then push myself off the railing that I was leaning on and stand up straight. "Orimura-san, good afternoon. I was actually waiting for your brother. Was going to congratulate him on today's match."

"He didn't win, though."

"He put up a good fight, far better than anyone could've expected." I say, turning to face her. "Almost winning against National Representative when the difference in their experience is that large… that is something to congratulate, no?"

"I suppose." She says, walking up to me and looking out at the sea as well. "You know, you're not going to see him if you keep looking out."

"Well, I thought he might say hello if he saw me. And I'm, well, still looking to see when he comes out. How was it, by the way, watching him? I thought it was kind of cute, when he gave his little speech about being the one to protect the Orimura name."

I notice Orimura look away very slightly. "He could have at least had a little more tact."

"Embarrassed?"

She scoffs, crossing her arms. "Hardly."

"I'm sensing a lie about that, Orimura-san."

She scoffs as I look back, finding the younger Orimura walking with Shinonono, the two of them smiling as they talk to one another as they apparently took a different exit out of the building. It seems that even with he lost, the two of them had fun with each other again.

I turn around so he won't see me, or at least it'll be harder to identify me.

"Weren't you going to congratulate my brother?"

"And ruin the mood when he's clearly happy being with Shinonono? Far be it from me. Unless of course, you'd like for me to interrupt. I'll be glad to tell him that his sister sent another man to ruin his time with a girl. He'll be delighted, I'm sure, and Shinonono will have quite the excellent scoop to feed to her classmates. And to think you wouldn't tell the school he was off limits."

"That has nothing to do with this!"

I give a chuckle at her lightly heated reaction. "Well, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

"For _what_?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean." I say, earning another annoyed look.

"You are _insufferable_."

"I've been told that on occasion. Well, I suppose if I'm not going to congratulate him now, I should get back to the office."

"Back to your vampire den?"

"Visit if you dare, Orimura-san." I say before switching to (horribly accented) English. " _I vant to suck vour blood!"_

She snorts before shaking her head. "Stay a while."

"Did you want to talk to me about something?"

"If you don't want to interrupt my brother, then you'll have to delay yourself. Otherwise you'll just run into each other on the paths since they're likely to intersect."

"Ah, I suppose that's true. I mean, I could just hide. Oh, but ah, don't take that as me being unwilling to stay with you. I don't really mind the invitation."

Orimura gives me a sigh of disappointment.

Rolling my eyes, I go back to standing next to her along the railing. "…I'll stay a while. So, what did you want to talk about?"

For a while, the two of us just talk while watching the setting sun. Nothing really deep, but we discuss some of the latest news, a bit of sports (particularly soccer), and amusingly clothes.

Seriously, her blazer just _screams_ high quality and I want to know where she got it because I can't just exactly get international shipping from my usual store _easily_.

"Honestly, you value your appearance more than most people think women do."

"Point of correction, I value my _professional_ appearance, not my appearance in general. It just so happens I'm always on professional duty when most people see me, so that's all that you see."

"Yes, yes. You'd be hard pressed to find _anyone_ who wouldn't see your professional appearance."

"Hm. If you're doubting my ability to be lax, I only need to cite the staff party."

"Where you showed up in a suit."

"I'll give you that. I suppose I could've done with something other than a silk tie."

Orimura gives me an expression along the lines of "You are completely missing the point". I only give a shrug in reply.

"Well, I suppose I can give you the address. I'll send it to you via email later."

"Much appreciated." I say with a nod. "I may have to visit when I get the chance."

"If you do, tell them I suggested them to you."

"Ah, so you're a regular."

"Although, he might not believe you…" Orimura puts a hand on her chin and mumbles to herself before nodding slightly. "Tell me when you'd like to go. If I'm with you, then he'll be sure that I sent you."

"Hmm, so you're close knit. I wish I had that kind of relationship with some of the shopkeeps back home. The best I got is the guy at the 7-11 back on campus that passed me a pack of smokes every week or so."

"You smoke?"

"I used to. Kicked the habit ehhh, halfway through my third year of college? I was dating someone at the time and when I was going to be introduced to her extended family, I thought that maybe I'd clean myself up a bit." I say with a shrug. "I haven't puffed one since then."

"I didn't take you to be a smoker, is all."

"I only smoked for about two years. Fell into it almost right into college. Fortunately I had people to set me straight in the end." I check my watch. "Well, it's been fifteen minutes. I suppose that I can get back now. I'm sure I won't run into younger brother." I say, checking my phone. No messages. "It was nice talking to you, Orimura-san."

"Likewise."

"I believe I should excuse myself, as after all, I'm sure there is still plenty of work to be done." I say as I start walking away while giving her an offhand wave. "Have a good afternoon then, Orimura-san."

"You too, Shino-san."

Well then, I suppose it's been an interesting few opening days. Perhaps I should call Ushio tonight…

* * *

 **Yaaaaaaaay! Finally finished this one. I had been stuck for so long, but writing** _ **Armored Hearts**_ **got me back in the writing mood. So here we are!**

 **I didn't think there was anything too much to talk about this chapter. Had a bit of fun with developing the characters a little more. Odama and Komine got some more screentime, with Galen showing his conversation skills again. I thought it would also show off more of Galen's backstory/details, such as the way his name is written and his heritage along with hinting at why he decided to practice clinical psychology. I wanted to have Odama have that very playful side to her that veers on the slightly sadistic, but she can easily be put off-track. Meanwhile, I wanted to have Komine be very down-to-earth and as Galen noted in Ch 4, the most "normal" out of the bunch he's met.**

 **The scenes with Houki I thought were all right, same for the ones with Ichika. Galen's speaking to them and giving them advice and counsel, not necessarily treating them. I feel I sort of glossed over the specifics of his job, since in Ch 1 he notes that the position is for "therapist and psychologist", so I took that to be very broad and just played with the idea he's one of the medical staff that helps people** _ **not**_ **go off their rocker and thus can do counseling stuff but not really like, the heavy stuff. With that one other nameless student case, he notes that he referred her to people that can help more, such as tutors and academic advisors.**

 **The scene with Cecilia's records annoyed me the first time I wrote it, mainly because I didn't go into depth on Galen's partial analysis, so I figured I'd expand it a bit and so here we are with that portion of the chapter.**

 **Sorry for skipping the fight, but I felt it would be much more fun to just have a smash cut to Galen's reaction at Ichika losing XD**

 **The final scene with Galen and Chifuyu was tricky. I kept feeling it was ending to abruptly or on the wrong note, so I wrote it like, 4 different ways? Yeesh. Set up a few more scenes for them and well, yeah. I don't think I have to explain too much.**

 **I don't know though, does it feel like I rushed Galen and Chifuyu's relationship with each other? I sort of feel they got friendly very quickly, but then at the same time it's like, Galen is one of those people that doesn't walk like he's on broken glass around her or doesn't feel intimidated by, so he's that one person that can have this kind of discussion with. He's sort of that one person she can slightly let her guard down against because Galen doesn't have his** _ **up**_ **even when around her. But neither is he incredibly forward or reserved, he just sort of** _ **is**_ **around her. Lemme know what you think.**

 **And that could be said for the rest of this chapter. Lemme know what you think about what I've done. It's been… Oh, like 6 months since I updated? I hope I haven't really derailed anyone's personalities in that time. Anyways, let me know what I can fix and what you'd like to see more of. I was thinking either having a casual day/weekend for Galen or maybe just get the ball rolling with Rin being introduced, but we'll see what I feel like writing.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AHAHAHAHAHA AS I SAID IN ARMORED HEARTS, DOING WELL IN COLLEGE AND FREE TIME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE OH MY GOD NEXT YEAR IS GONNA SUPER SUCK.**

 **Anyways, this probably shouldn't have taken so long as it should have, but bleh. Today we have a more relaxed chapter, since next chapter is a little more tense, or so I think. In addition, I wanted to start exploring some of the character's stories, you know, get to know who they are a little deeper.**

 **Of course, I have to only do a small bit at a time. Trying to get everyone in one chapter would just make it drone on for a really long time. Plus, it would deprive me of a chance to try to work it in with the plot of IS moving along as well.**

 **Either way, here we go. Some post-writing notes at the bottom as well.**

 **AGH SORRY FOR THE DOUBLE UPDATE, FFNET HAD SOME WEIRD UPLOADING ERROR.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6:** Casual Times

* * *

"Hmhm," I hum to myself, moving the record player in the early afternoon, as the sun filters through the window. I managed to find a rather wonderfully preserved record player and bought it almost instantly. It's wooden, but it's been refurbished, repolished, and the parts have been replaced for it to be working at tip-top condition. I had to ask Sullivan for a favor though, since the speaker wires were slightly exposed.

"That's a nice player."

I turn around and find Tsuketa leaning on the doorway, hands in her doctor coat's pockets. "Oh, Tsuketa-san. Yes, I actually just managed to get it earlier this week. I'll have to have my records delivered from back home."

"Oh, oh. I have a few I keep in my room if you want to test it out."

"Well, I already tested it out when I bought it from the guy, but I suppose an acoustics and volume test might be nice. Do you have a player, out of curiosity?"

"Well no, it's just that I've liked collecting records, got that from my dad. I often bring them to friends who do have players so we can listen to them. Hmmmm, it's not too late. I'll go get one now. Any preference?"

"Maybe something classical." I say offhandedly, walking over to my desk and looking at its positioning with the rest of the room. It's not too far from my desk, so I should be able to reach it if someone comes in without causing too much of a disturbance.

"Will do." With that, she leaves my room, leaving me alone, I'm really quite glad I managed to find it. I don't know how much I'll really _use_ it with the students around, but I think it adds a bit of flavor to the room.

After the Alcott situation, things have relatively died down. Everyone's getting into the groove of regular schooling and not too much noise is being made.

Oh, I suppose there _was_ the amusing report that Alcott turned over the position to Orimura. I had to suppress a chuckle when I saw their interactions in the cafeteria the other day. It seems that Orimura, by standing up to Alcott, melted her heart or something like that. A bit too much of a _romantic_ explanation, but she was showing obvious signs of attraction.

Well, time will tell if it's just a passing infatuation or something more. Either way, he's gotten a much better view in her eyes now.

I idly play another game of chess while waiting for Tsuketa to get back. I still get destroyed, with my chess skills leaving much to be desired in my skill. They say smart people play chess, but I can't help but believe that it's reserved for those of a more mathematical nature.

My thoughts are interrupted when Tsuketa comes in, almost skipping before she drops the record in and starts playing it. The setting sun sparkles off the record as it spins, its music filling the air.

"Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Major, K. 550~" she says, coming around my desk and then grabbing my wrists, yanking my hands off the keyboard.

"Wha—hey, what are you doing?" I yell-slash-ask as I'm pulled out into the sunlight filtering through the windows, that light acting almost like a well-placed spotlight.

"I learned to dance as a young girl and never quite forgot how. It might not be the right accompaniment, but it'll have to do."

I break free with my left hand and latch onto the table. "Hey, you can't just—"

She pulls me out into the open area of the office, my left hand not nearly strong enough to resist her, taking my left hand and placing it on her hip. My right hand is pulled along and extended as she puts her right hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, but I can, Shino-san."

"Ha…" I say as I automatically match her movements. "…you could have asked, you know?"

"O~ho, you seem to be matching up nicely." She replies as I take a step back to pair with her step forward, not missing a beat.

"My mother said that I would learn to dance or that I would never—" At one point in the track I let her go with my left hand, extending her out and allowing her to spin before she finishes the twirl with her right hand in mine. She moves back to the point her back is almost pressing up against me. "—be able to keep a woman around me. You were awfully forward about this, you know?"

With another twirl, we go back to our original positioning.

"Well, you're not really the type to be defeated in words. You're far too good at conversation for me. You'd probably just dodge and weave, never allowing me to even come close. So, I went for your weakness."

"And that is?"

She suddenly leans in close, cupping my chin with her right hand. I automatically turn my head a little bit and look away, slightly flinching from the sudden aggression. Damn, she's good at reading that. Getting rid of my ability to talk my way out of things like that…

" _Direct action._ And aww, aren't you just _cute_ looking away. Is that a blush I see?"

The only way to trump her from here is to take power back.

My hand immediately goes to her hip and I move to the right, forcing her hand back onto my shoulder as the record's volume goes up. Tsuketa lets out a gasp as I assert my dominant position as the lead. Taking control of the dance, I bring her around the room, giving no quarter.

"S-shino-san…" she breathes out as I enter a dip, putting my face close to hers without a hint of embarrassment, or at least, I'm trying my best not to show any signs. She's quite limber, too, being able to bend without any hint of pain. I suppose that confirms the truth about her dancing as a child, and she never quite lost that physicality.

"What's wrong, Tsuketa-san? I thought you had done dancing before. Aren't you used to this?" I say calmly, trying not to let myself slip in confidence, before pulling us up and continuing.

"K-kuh…"

"I may have a weakness to direction action, but remember, I am not incapable of fighting back." I continue with a small smile. "And I _always_ have a counter. I might not have been able to talk my way out of that situation, but certainly I can do something else."

"R-right."

"Well, let's dance then. Two moving as one, yes?"

"O… of course. You're a charmer now, aren't you?"

"I'm not. I just use skills I've learned and good timing with my words and actions to show people not to take me lightly or push back when they try to get one of my weak points." I state evenly, the two of us now settling down to be in less of a frantic pace. "You were the aggressor, after all."

"Perhaps I was."

"And like I said, you could have just asked me to dance."

"You wouldn't have let me, though would you?"

"I suppose not." I say, stopping us as the song ends. I then let go of her and back away before taking a bow. "Thank you, for this dance."

Tsuketa looks away, holding a hand to her cheek. "H-how crass of you. Toying with this maiden's heart like that… you should definitely take responsibility."

I give her a disappointed look as I go to sit back down. "Stop spouting such clichéd lines, it's unbecoming of someone such as you."

"Well, I was in drama club when I was in high school, hehe."

"That explains why you're not actually blushing."

I stop talking as she sits on top of my desk and extends her arm, putting her right pointer finger under my chin.

"Oho, I may not be showing signs, but truly, I am most captivated. A lady cannot expose herself so quickly now, can she not? Her secrets would be exposed just like—" She snaps her fingers with her left hand "— _that_. Oh, how quickly ruin would befall me if this were true!"

She leans in, to which I can only roll my eyes.

"So, Galen-san, even if my cheeks do not dust themselves red as your hand graces mine, even if the best machines detect not a single skip of my heartbeat as our eyes meet, even if not even the heavens themselves can find a sign that says 'I love you', will you take me as your lover, even if I can ne'er show it to the world?"

"I'm really quite tempted to get some soundproofing now."

She explodes into giggles, getting off my desk.

"Not even a blush from you? You really are professional."

"I've learned to control myself well. You'd be surprised how many clients I've had that tried to seduce me into signing off on their psyche evals."

"Heeeeh. I don't think any of the girls'll go try doing that though."

"Thank God for that. It'd be incredibly awkward."

"At what, the sixteen year old trying to seduce you or the fact you're already taken~?"

"At the—wait what the hell do you mean _already taken_?"

"No~thing~"

I only give an unamused look at her. I know exactly what this is, and I almost took the bait. This is just another lure to tease me about Komine again.

I cough, clearing my throat. "So, is there anything else you'd like from me? I'm sure you didn't just poke in here for the record player which you should have had no way of knowing I had obtained."

She quickly regains her composure before grinning. "I wanted to know if that fresh news off the rumor mill was true."

"Which news?" I ask, adjusting my tie as I begin closing a few windows on my computer. "If you mean the rumor about that transfer from China, then _you_ should know about it too considering you're part of the medical staff."

She leans across my desk with a smile that's too wide to mean _anything_ good.

"I mean the rumor that you're going shopping with Komine-san tonight. Ufufu, juggling Orimura _and_ Komine? Hmm, maybe that rumor about you being a vampire has _some_ merit to it, after all."

Oh. _That_ rumor. I know _I_ didn't give up anything to let it slip.

"That one would be false. _Honestly_ , where do you people come up with this sort of stuff? What, was Mazumina-san spouting nonsense off again? And please don't imply that I'm a cheater, I am not romantically involved in any way with _anyone._ "

"Oh no, no. I just happen to have my sources."

"Probably unreliable sources." I mutter back. "What, did Komine-san mistakenly text you something? You can be assured that it wasn't for me."

"Well, can I see your phone to prove that?"

"I have nothing to prove to you though. You can take my word or leave it."

"Hesitating?"

"No. It's rather that I feel no need to prove myself innocent of your claims." I say nonchalantly. "Really though, don't you have better things to do than harass me over this? Or is this a cover for something else? Maybe that rumor was just a lie to scout out if I had any ties with Komine, since if I didn't, then it would be a signal that I am perhaps single. And seeing as Yohatsu-san is said to be thinking of inviting her friends from here, a group that you belong to, for her wedding, it might stand that you are seeing if I have anyone that would be upset by the fact you want to bring me along because I believe you are the type that would not want to show up alone to a wedding."

"K… kuh… you're quite frightening, you know that?!" she says with an accusatory pointing finger.

"It was a very basic deduction. It seems putting my ear to the rumor mill was worth something. Normally I don't listen to office gossip but I figured seeing as I've been dragged into it, I should at least try to keep up so people aren't shocking me with stories out of nowhere."

"So you knew by the time I asked, huh?"

"Oh yes, I was well aware." I say with another dismissive hand wave. "Well, I was about to close up for today. If there's nothing else you'd like from me, I really should get going to my room. Make sure to take your record with you."

"What's the rush? You're not meeting anyone, right?"

"I'm calling what you might say is my 'family' back home, although they're not really that. However, I'd call them family just the same." I say, starting to put away my belongings into my backpack. "Because of the time difference, it is very difficult to call them. Quite frustrating, no?"

"Ohhhh? Who is it?"

"My landlord, actually. Had quite a friendship back home. If I wrap up the call early, well, I suppose I'll go out to the mainland. I have been looking to stock my groceries." I reply without missing a beat. I actually called Ushio _yesterday_ , or on Saturday morning. She's smoothly sailing into finals and she's fairly confident in her ability to succeed. She's already decided on a college as well. Madeline also mentioned visiting Japan in the summer, which I'd be glad for, as I could hardly take several days off while I'm here.

It seems Tsuketa stops questioning, which is good.

Because, well, it's true that I'm heading out with Komine tonight.

"Hmmhmm… what kind of woman is she?"

"Bold. Fair. Somewhat of a tease, but at heart she's a big softy, no matter how much she annoys me for fun. Killer at chess, too." I say with a nostalgic smile.

"O~ho, that's a nice smile. That's going to be worth something."

Shoot.

I roll my eyes as I zip my bag up. "Well, I've finished packing up. Shall we go, Tsuketa-san?"

She gives me a suspicious look as I take the lead, I silently head to my room and put my bag down before stretching, having left Tsuketa at her room. Hmmm…

Well, it's a Saturday night. I suppose I don't need to be that fancy.

I exchange my white undershirt for a black one, my white button shirt for a teal one, leave the top two buttons undone, and switch the slacks out for just black khakis for the appearance-ish of slacks. I also get rid of the blazer and settle for something or just a fancier sweater that's collared up. Much better.

Going over to the mirror, I take a few seconds to check my appearance before nodding to myself. Yes, this will work. Now just to check the forecast… some light showers, possibly turning into a storm if the winds push it here. I'll pack an umbrella, then.

Before heading out the door, I grab my umbrella and twirl it in my hands before letting it slide down so I can grab its wooden handle. Exiting my room, I then close the door and then check that the door is locked before walking down to the tram that takes people to the mainland. However, because this is the time between when most people got off and the later afternoon, there's hardly anyone else at the tram station. It leaves roughly every twenty minutes, so I should be roughly on time.

"Oh, Shino-san!"

I look ahead and find Komine getting up from her seat in the waiting area. She's dressed in that dark blue kimono that she wore to the party. She really does look quite traditional and beautiful in it. I suppose that most of the people are used to her by now, or at least the staff are. Normally such an outfit would be cause for attention as it stands out.

Her hands calmly fold themselves in front of her, resting against her legs as she gives a small bow.

"Good evening, Shino-san."

"Good evening, Komine-san."

"Haruna." She says as I finish walking over to her.

"Hm?" I say I gesture for us to get into the tram.

"You're not being professional now, right?" she asks with a small grin. "Then, as everyone who usually calls me by my last name just calls me by my given name when we're not in front of the students in the school, please do the same."

"Ah… well, all right then, Haruna-san. Mah… well, I suppose I don't mind being called Galen…"

"You don't have to force yourself." She replies. "After all, you prefer 'Shino-san', right?"

"Well, yes. I believe I'll stick with that."

"Mhm. Oh, is it going to rain later?"

"It might." I say, sitting down after Komine. "So I thought I would bring an umbrella. It should be more than enough for the two of us if you didn't bring an umbrella."

"Ah! Thank you."

The two of us chit chat about idle things, mainly about recipes and foods. Hopefully I'll be able to show off my family's recipes. I might not have too much pride in my cooking, but I do have some for my family's recipes inherited from my mother.

"It's why I asked about cooking in the kitchen sometime. I thought it might be nice after your elegant display at the party."

"That was a while back, though."

"Yes, but I take pride in my family's recipes and my own basic ones won't hold a candle to it. While cooking for a lot of people could be done, I think it might be nice if I just made something for two, maybe three people, for something of an Italian night."

"O-oh, I see."

"Of course, there is the policy of bringing alcohol onto the campus I've yet to look into…"

"You didn't know?"

"Hm?"

"As long as it's kept only in your room, you should be fine. Just make sure no students get it."

"Well then. I'll take that into consideration. Perhaps we could schedule something on a Saturday afternoon?"

"Oh! Ah, perhaps two Saturdays from now?"

"Sounds good. Feel free to bring Mazumina-san with you. I usually cooked for three when I did this back home—" And of course, I'm unable to stop myself from smiling "—so bringing a third person is fine."

"For three?"

"Landlord and her daughter. I'm pretty good friends with the two of them and I used to cook during our Italian nights."

"Hm. This is the first time you've mentioned them to me."

"I could have sworn I've talked about them before…" I mutter. It's not like I'm exactly embarrassed about them. They're wonderful people and I was blessed to have known them. "Well, like I said, I can cook for three."

She nods. "Mmm. I will have to think about who to bring."

Good thing I already have a menu. Hmm, what wine to pair along with that… ah, I suppose I should also just get some sparkling cider in case they're not in the mood to drink.

Ah, I suppose I'll need to make another list then. I knew the menu I wanted to make, but I don't know the ingredients off the top of my head. A little shameful, but I always had to write down the ingredients when I went shopping.

Of course, tonight was about helping Komine, so I'll save it for another time.

The two of us get off at the other end of the tram. We pass by several students who look like they're waiting for some others, along with some other faculty members.

After passing through some gates, we exit the small tram station, our view opening up to a setting sun, although towards the town there are definitely some clouds in the distance.

"Ah, I guess I missed it when I first arrived here."

"Hm? Is something wrong, Shino-san?"

"I suppose that when I got here, I didn't really pay attention to the town. I just rode in, looking to get to the Academy as fast as possible. Still though, I probably should have noted that while coming in."

"Well, it was a part of expansion, from what I heard. It's almost like a college. The students, on their free time, can come here and get what they want, but it's mainly restaurants. If you take a bus further down, you'll come out to a more downtown area where there's more shopping."

"Is that where we're going?"

"Hmm… Well, let's go."

"Eh? That doesn't sound like we're going there." I say, but Komine only gives a smile. "I don't want to impose, really."

"But you should know what's down there. While I can tell you, it would be better for you to get acquainted with it yourself, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose. I don't have change for the bus, though."

"That's not a problem, Shino-san. Our IDs function as fare tickets."

Ah. How convenient. I suppose there are things like that for colleges, but I didn't expect them to cover the faculty. I guess considering we're on an island, they're just giving us a hand due to the fact none of us can really use a private vehicle.

The two of us get on a bus (at Komine's further insistence), and after about twenty minutes, arrive at… well, it's not downtown, but it's certainly more like a city. While the other place had nice, wider streets and a more spread out appearance due to the shops being separated, this has more of a strip-mall feel. There's restaurants next to each other but in the same building, and clothing stores packed together. I recognize more retail brands compared to the more 'outlet' feel as well.

"Ah, hm. This is a bit of a better feel to it. Reminds me more of home. Is there anywhere you'd like to visit, Komi—Haruna-san?"

"No, but let's take a walk around."

We pass by a few bars and restaurants, where the laughter of several staff members and also some students is evident as they tell tales about the past week. A few of them talk to Komine and some of the street stalls call out to her, giving a wave.

"Haruna-san, who's your boyfriend?" One of the older men at a ramen stall asks. I take a look at his features. Black hair kept behind a headband, no facial hair, I'd estimate to be in his late forties or early fifties. He's wearing some normal clothes underneath an apron and.

"He's not my boyfriend, Jun-san." She says without any hint of embarrassment, but I quickly deduce from the body language that this isn't anything new. She's probably used to this conversation.

"Ah, Shino Galen." I say, putting out a hand.

"Agh, I'd shake your hand but I've been cooking, it probably smells a bit." He says with a bit of a laugh. "So, how's Haruna? She wrap you around her finger yet?"

"I'm right here, Jun-san."

"She's a wonderful cook." I say, checking for my wallet. "Ah, well, perhaps we should have dinner. My treat, for bringing me here."

"You won't mind if I indulge a bit, will you~"

I give a small snort while pulling out a chair for her. "It seems I have to watch myself around you. I've severely underestimated your cleverness that you hide behind that kind face of yours."

Komine only smiles as she takes her seat, knowing it to be true. Ha, it's like I never left my previous job. I'm still surrounded by dangerous women.

"So, what'll it be tonight?"

"Haruna-san, I'll leave it in your hands. I'm sure you know what's good. Although please have mercy on my wallet."

"Mmm, alright. Two of my usual, Jun-san."

"Coming right up."

"Hmhm, thank you, Shino-san."

"Ha, I'll wait a few moments before thanking you."

"It's not bad. I took your budget into account."

"Oh thank God." I say in a clearly satirical manner. Komine gives a small chuckle before lightly tugging on my sleeve. "What is it?"

"Um, ah, did Mazumina-san give you a hard time?"

"Did… did you mention something to her…?" I ask, thinking on what she was saying. Hmmm… Oh, I see. "Oh, she didn't say anything. But Tsuketa-san was bothering me about whether or not we were heading out. It's just normal office gossip, it shouldn't bother you."

"Ah, I see. You just seemed like you were annoyed when people kept bugging you about Orimura-san before, so I thought that since I let it slip to her about our outing tonight, she'd annoy you and it might spread."

"Well, it's just some light teasing, really. It's not like it's really all that bothersome." I say with a hand wave. "Besides, it's not like it's harassment or anything. And ah, well, I suppose it makes me feel a little more welcome. People are actually willing to entertain that idea."

She holds her hand to her mouth as she lets out a small giggle. "I see. I was worried for nothing, then."

"Yes, you were. Although your worry is appreciated. Thank you for thinking of that. But in the future, please try not to release such troublesome details. According to Tsuketa-san, it was in the rumor mill circulation for a while. Honestly, does no one have anything else of value to talk about?"

"Hehe, maybe not. But it might wear off soon, it's just that you're the newest hire and you've really pushed yourself. The students do like to talk about you, or at least the ones that have visited you."

"Well, that's my duty to them, isn't it? I ought to do nothing short of my absolute best for them. It's just that people find it to be exceptional compared to what they'd expect. Ah, but let's not talk about work. It's the weekend and our time to relax."

"I didn't expect that from you."

"Ha _ha_ , very funny. Well, I suppose that as we both seem to enjoy cooking, I'm sure we have our adventures in the kitchen to talk about. Shall we share stories?"

I share a few of my tales from back home, such as the time I first tried making soufflé as a kid. And the one time that Madeline and I teased Ushio about the mint brownies actually being pot brownies due to me finding out that in one of Ushio's classes they were talking about drugs so we played a trick using association.

Granted, she didn't actually _get_ high, but using confirmation bias, Ushio thought she was actually mildly experiencing some symptoms. Ish. Maybe. It's hard to tell, but for the most part we were just teasing her.

And, as my final tale, I told about the one time that I thought the raw eggs were hardboiled eggs and ended up spilling all over my plate. Which absolutely ruined the fried rice I was going to eat it with.

I learn a bit from Komine's stories (during which our food comes—thankfully not damaging my wallet), namely about shenanigans and one time using spatulas as fencing swords (she was not wearing a kimono that day because she was _not_ about to ruin any of those).

Apparently, she was trained in naginata usage when she was a lot younger. Go figure. She really does seem like a prim and proper person.

"Ha, my parents were pretty loose when it came to me." I say, stopping to eat some noodles, which are delightfully seasoned. "I rarely got in trouble and life was pretty normal, but they were a little hesitant when I voiced my intent to go into clinical psychology."

"They didn't approve?"

"They weren't sure if I could make a living with it. They wanted something a little more stable, but I prepared an argument and proved to them that I was willing to go through with it and had already shown that I was set up well."

"Hehehe."

"What is it?"

"So you debated your parents into letting you go to college for that?"

"Well, they were going to foot the bill, right? If they weren't going to go through with it, I was going to find a way regardless. I'm a driven person, or so you might say. I would have found a way."

"Mhm. I can believe that. So they let you go?"

"Yes… and you could say I really wanted to be successful, to prove myself right and to not shame them, or at least make them feel that their investment wasn't a mistake." I pause, giving a nod, before taking a few more bites. "I like success, well, there's no one who doesn't, but I just happened to have a little more on the line. So, I've been curious about something, Ko—egh, Haruna-san."

"What is it?"

"How did you come to work at IS Academy?"

"Oh, well, that's a story that involves Mazumina-san. She and I have been friends for a very long time and for a while I was actually going to be in an arranged marriage."

"Sounds like it was rough." I say, immediately having noted her posture and facial expression.

"Ehh, the man in question wasn't very bad. He was actually very cute and I thought that perhaps I could bring myself to like him."

"I'm sensing a 'but' around here."

"Mazumina-san made me really think about it. You might say she's the one that taught me to start thinking a little. Every day I became a little less satisfied with the inevitable conclusion and one day asked to call it off, saying I could no longer go into it with a willing heart. My parents were a little annoyed, Granted, we were the more powerful family in this case, but if the reverse were true, I suspect it might not have turned out so cleanly. But I believe that even if that had been true, when Mazumina-san and I are together, nothing can stop us."

The smile on her face reminds me of Felicia, Ralph, and I. When it was us three together back in undergrad, we were sure as hell unstoppable. Whenever times got rough, we knew we were there for each other.

Things have sort of changed since we parted ways after going to pursue our careers, but I suppose given the chance, I'd like to relive the old times again.

"Hm. You've… been pretty strong, then."

"Ehehe, it's only because I have my friends with me~" Komine says with a smile. "Then, Mazumina-san said that there was a job for a chef at IS Academy and I took it. I hadn't really had a formal cooking job, but sometimes it's about who you know. I presented myself and also brought in some samples and got the job and well, I've been here since, eventually taking the head chef position."

"IS Academy doesn't exactly have normal hiring practices, does it?"

"It's a very special school, after all."

I give a boisterous laugh, attracting a bit of attention. "Haha! Yeah, you're right about that one!"

I pause, noticing that Komine is smiling before breaking into a giggle fit followed by laughter.

"W… what the hell is so funny?" I ask, turning away back to my food, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious.

"I'm sorry, it's just… that's the first real laugh I've heard you make, I think is how I can say it. Your smiles before, it's not that they were forced, but hmmm, well, I guess that's just how I'd say it~"

Agh, her instincts are on point.

It's a bit of a shame, sometimes. With my years of schooling and also of watching people and learning what makes them tick, I can sort of determine what to do given a situation. When to laugh, when to give a pat on the back, et cetera. I mean, _yes_ it's genuine, but sometimes it's more like I'm doing it because I'm supposed to.

Of course, it's not really crippling to my relationships, but I've had a bit of anxiety sometimes about it. I'm just surprised someone here can see it. I guess Komine hasn't seen through it completely, but she has a feeling about it.

I give a snort and going back to eating my food, with Komine laughing as she does the same. We quickly finish up and head out, going back to the store near the tram station. Komine skips ahead happily, a smile on her face as she goes through the aisles. I simply stand back and let her go to work looking at all the various ingredients.

"These aren't for work, are they?" I ask as she starts looking at some of the wine bottles.

"Nope, not at all."

"Hmm, if we can keep some in our rooms, I believe some _pinot noir_ might be nice. Or just some red wine, I always like having some to drink while reading. And some chardonnay."

In the end, Komine grabs a few fruits, some baking ingredients, seasonings, and some salmon. And of course, between the two of us, nine wine bottles.

"Hehe, not a fan of beer, Shino-san?"

"I prefer my drinks of a higher class. But I suppose _German_ beer on the other hand, I've developed a taste for. Too bad they didn't have any here." I say as the doors open up. Oh. "That's… a pretty heavy rain. I guess the winds blew it here instead of just the passing showers."

"Then, it's a good thing you got your umbrella."

"Mhm. We'll have to share, so please stay close." I say, holding up the umbrella and opening it before pulling it down over us. We then shuffle the bags around, although I take more of the weight without telling her in my left hand. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, let's go."

"Again, stay close. I don't want you to get soaked." I say, stepping in a little closer. I can feel Komine's arm brush up against me as she closes the distance between us. I turn to her, having to resist the urge to step away because how close we are.

"Are you not used to being this close, Shino-san?"

"Sorry, I usually just like keeping my distance from others. I should have packed a larger umbrella."

"Hm, so Shino-san is weak to others being close to him."

"That's a secret, okay?" I ask as I take the first step out into the rain, Komine following closely. I can feel her clothing shifting against my own along with our footsteps slapping onto the wet ground. "Your shoes are waterproof?"

"They'll be fine."

"Just checking. I probably should have asked beforehand."

"Would you carry me if they weren't, Shino-san?"

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not exactly physically capable. I doubt I could carry you."

"Not even on your back?"

"Well, how would we carry the bags then?"

"Hmmm… Well, Shino-san, you're pretty smart, I'm sure you could figure out a way."

I give a snort of derision. "Haha, very funny. Well, let's hurry up a little bit. I wouldn't want the wind to make it difficult to hold the umbrella."

"Mhm."

After about ten minutes, we take a break underneath another storefront, as my left arm is getting tired as I can't spread the weight across my two arms.

"Heahah…" Komine mutters as a breeze blows through, shivering.

I wordless remove my sweater and stand in front of Komine.

"Here." I say, holding the sweater out to her.

"S-shino-san… you won't be cold?"

"I'll be fine, Haruna-san. Come on, put this on. I wouldn't want you to get a cold."

"But you—"

"—have a good immune system, don't worry. In my entire four years as an undergrad, I only got sick enough to be out of class once. This breeze is nothing, alright?"

"If… if you insist, then."

I help her put on the sweater (which really, all I do is drape it over her shoulders because that kimono of hers is pesky for putting this on) and nod, stepping away as I pick up my bags and open the umbrella. "Well, let's go. My arm has had enough of a rest now."

The two of us continue back on the road to the tram. As the wind blows every now and then, but I force myself not to shiver or say anything. While Jersey could be cold sometimes, at least I had a coat. Now all I've got is this button shirt to deal with this rather chilly and wet wind.

"Cheh, the forecast didn't say it would be this bad. Or at least, they weren't really saying the winds would blow this way." I say, noting that the puddles are rather deep. "Ah, watch out, big one here."

The two of us dance around a deep and wide puddle on the sidewalk before going back to our side by side walking position.

"Then, I should thank you for bringing the umbrella. I didn't think it would be like this, it was sunny all day."

"Yeah, I guess the winds blew in that passing storm." I reply to Komine. "Eh—?!"

"S-sorry." Komine says as I struggle to keep my balance from her dragging me down as she grips onto my sleeve. "I lost my footing for a second there."

"It's fine."

With that, I offer my other hand to her as I slightly pivot on my feet. She takes it and gets a good balance on herself before nodding that she's fine. I give a curt nod in reply and then gesture up ahead, telling her we should keep on going.

After about ten more minutes, we finally arrive at the tram station, which is thankfully covered.

"Well, that was an adventure." I say, snapping the umbrella shut and giving it a few shakes to cast the water droplets off. "Are you still well and dry, Haruna-san?"

"Yes, thank you very much." She replies from her seat as I take the one across from her, checking that we still have all of our bags. "I'll certainly be more disciplined about checking the weather forecast."

"That would be good. Got everything you wanted tonight?"

"Oh yes, and I'll be starting to cook tomorrow. Maybe I'll stop by your office and give you something I make later."

"I wouldn't mind that. I'd be happy to try anything you make, as I'm still impressed at everything you made during the staff party." I say, watching several students and other staff members coming into the station, looking for the train. I check my watch and find we have roughly two minutes until the tram departs.

The two of us simply sit there silently, watching everyone coming in, with the exception of a few students that recognize us along with a few staff members who say 'hello' to Komine before looking at me and the sweater she's still wearing.

I simply pretend not to notice, hoping to give the impression it didn't mean anything. I only gave it to her because it was chilly with the rain, and also the fact that I felt I was slightly angling the umbrella to be more favorable on my end, so helping her avoid being rained on was the least I could do.

The two minutes go by and the doors close, the tram beginning its journey to the school. It seems everyone here is tired from the rain, but a few are still ecstatic from the fun they had before the downpour.

When we get to the island, it's already cleared up, so there's no need to continue using the umbrella. Komine and I go straight to her room, where we shuffle the contents of the bags around so I can take my things directly to my room after this.

"Good night, Shino-san."

"Good night, Ha—ah, Komine-san."

"We're back on school grounds now, aren't we?"

"Indeed. Well, I suppose I'll head back to my room, crack open a book, and then drink some wine while I'm at it. Cheers, Komine-san, and take care."

"Rest well, Shino-san."

With that, she goes into her room, taking her items with her. As I walk away…

…my sweater.

I turn around and look at her door—now closed—and give a deep sigh. Well, I'll get it back later. For now, I'll let it slide. A bit inconvenient, but oh well. I'm sure she'll return it.

I enter my room and then close the door behind me, locking it, and then put my wine on the counter. I then place my phone and wallet on the table before removing my clothing as I go into the bathroom.

Well, if the days continue to go like this, then I'll have no complaints.

* * *

 **Hehehe.**

 **Anyways, I wanted to write one more "chill out" chapter before shit hits the fan since well, Rin and the Golem are up next. You can imagine after that event how stressed out the students are along with the amount of work Galen will have on his place.**

 **I don't know, I feel like I'm putting Komine in the spotlight too much. But with Sullivan in the mechanics, Mazumina in the gardening/landscaping area, Odama as a teacher, and Tsuketa as the medical staff, it feels a little hard to naturally squeeze them in. Like, Tsuketa I could see talking with him more, but I tend to abstract out all the 'standard' stuff, where they'd be talking and working together. Komine and Galen just seem to be brought into situations naturally, but ugh.**

 **I'm probably going to try to put some focus off of her, but I think I was overcompensating in my 'trying not to put too much spotlight on Orimura', so I ended up repeating that mistake with Komine. Hold me to that next chapter, but also let me know if it seems forced that she's not appearing. I tried to remedy this by expanding the scene with Tsuketa at the start, but ugh.**

 **Oh well. Either way, just another casual chapter. Like I said, this was so I could have a 'low tension' chapter compared to the 'mid tension' chapter that the Orimura-Alcott battle had, right before the 'high tension' of the Golem/Rin incident. Seriously, Galen's gonna have his hands full with that. Either way, seeya guys next chapter. Whenever that is (lol)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Quick note before this chapter, you'll see Galen using the "kun" honorific when talking about some of the students. I was trying to look online for how a teacher might address their students (since 'san' would indicate equals, I didn't want to use that) and I remember reading that 'kun' might be used for that. If someone wants to correct me on that, I'll make a ninja edit. Also I'm experimenting with doing a Google Doc to Word thing since I have to commute to work, so I like using Google Docs to edit on the fly.**

 **As usual, REVIEW REPLY TIME, GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

 **Neovilus Alpheim:** Yeah, I'm trying to work on that. I want to focus on everyone, but I think I shot myself in the foot by making a majority of the staff female. I felt that was a little more appropriate to the setting though, so it's been a rough call. With all the female characters, it's a bit rough to really try avoiding the whole harem catastrophe thing. I've tried to avert this by sort of giving two of the women he's met sort of the "main" choices, hopefully making it evident the others aren't really there romantically. With some of the dialogue and interactions in this chapter, I was hoping to hammer this attempt further-that is to say, steer this further away from the whole 'harem' thing. Thanks for stopping by!

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov:** Haha, I'm glad Galen's character has some mystery to it. I wanted to try experimenting with sort of "gradual" reveal to his motivations and his actions rather than just dropping it in as a backstory sort of thing. And like I said above, I feel like I shot myself in the foot with a mostly female staff, but you know what, I've come this far and I'm willing to try harder to avoid the harem schtick thing. I've got you and Neovilus here to steer me on the right track if I go too far, so I'll be counting on you. Thanks for reading!

 **Holy shit though, sorry for taking so long. I got an internship and the commute really digs into my writing time (hence when I've tried to move to Google Docs as well), plus I've been looking into launching a web-novel for an original idea I had of sorts. Anyways, here we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 :** Sworn Duty

* * *

I swirl my mug of coffee around as I look over Huang Lingyin's profile while she sits in front of me, looking somewhat nervous.

"Well, everything checks out." I say, causing her to have a look of relief on her face. "Although I would advise you to watch your actions. I don't know how lenient or strict your supervisors were back in China but I would not make an assumption that it will be the same here."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, just a warning. I'm not in charge of that thing at all, but I'm sure that IS Academy has a far different ruleset and they tend to be a little better at enforcing their policies. It would help to be cautious even in the case of partial deployment. If you have any questions regarding their exact policy I would ask your teacher or consult the student guidebook, although the latter might not be so clear in regards to personal IS usage."

With that, I snap her file shut and put it off to the side, stand up, and put out a hand.

"Welcome to IS Academy, Huang-kun. I hope your first year here goes well."

"…Right~"

She shakes my hand and then goes off to class. I can't help but feel we were slightly stand-offish, despite her keeping up an upbeat smile the whole time. But then again she seems to be pretty easy to agitate, based on her profile. Or maybe it's because I'm a man.

I sigh, trying to push that thought away. While it is _observable_ and definitely true in some regards, I should not be thinking like that right now. I understand that the students have biases that are the result of their experiences, but… tch. Perhaps part of me is simply hoping that they haven't been swallowed whole by this whole 'men are weak' thought.

Regardless, I suppose that reviewing her file and telling her 'Yes watch you don't do that' would put anyone on edge. But I realized that after reading her profile I had to be strict with her. She seemed naturally aggressive but was at least respectful (to a degree) of me for the meantime.

And amusingly enough, she has ties to Orimura Ichika. My, Orimura, it seems like everything is starting to revolve around you, isn't it?

About ten minutes later, while I am reading through the current profiles of the students who will be fighting in the upcoming class tournament to ensure they aren't at potential risk (seeing as these big spectator battles draw in sponsors and are one of the biggest PR movements for IS Academy, which is not universally supported), I hear a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Are you busy?"

"Not at all, Tsuketa-san. Is there something I can assist you with?"

"I was given overview of our newest transfer's case and wanted your opinion. I don't plan on prescribing anything to her just yet, but well… never hurts to get ahead."

"I understand. Well…" I put my hand on my chin. "I saw some signs of hostility, but I believe she's simply on guard. I'd like a few days for her to mellow out and become adjusted here."

"You think it's an act?"

I hold up Orimura's folder. "Prior associations. She also had some hesitation in speaking and I could tell her responses were slightly calculated. The aggression when I brought up Orimura with other girls makes me think of a possible relationship, but the file didn't have anything on that."

"So you're recommending I just stay on standby?"

"Yes. I can't report anything substantial just yet. She doesn't show any overt signs of having an aggression disorder or sociopathic behavior. I don't want to be too cautious but at the same time I don't want to jump the gun."

"Mhm." Tsuketa nods. "Are you done with the profiling for our combatants?"

"I was done with the first years, they're fairly easy. None of them really have had any _outstanding_ circumstances that are a cause for worry. The second years take a little longer since I want to be sure."

"Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Not a lot of prescriptions to be filled, honestly."

"Let's hope it stays that way."

"It's usually the beginning of the year that's the busiest, so you'll probably have your hands empty for a while. You might have an extreme case every now and then, but that's not too likely."

"If we can get through the year with only personal live matters, that would be good. Or better yet, none at all. Most of these girls are already boarding far away from home and a lot of them were just overcoming their homesickness. If they can make it through the year as if it was just everyday normal school life, that would be for the best."

"Mhm. That's usually how it goes, so here's hoping to that too. Say, did you get your ticket for the class tournament match?"

"I did, but I wasn't planning on going."

"Oh?"

"I'll be fine watching from the view screens."

"You just want to be in your office, don't you?"

"I never said that."

"Is it Komine? You two going to sit here and watch the battles with a nice homemade lunch?"

"Shut up." I grumble, earning a laugh from Tsuketa. "But in all seriousness, it's simply that IS battles don't interest me. I only watched Orimura-kun's because the circumstances were interesting."

"Ah, I see."

"If you want it, you can take it." I say, pulling out a drawer that contains my printed ticket. She takes a look at it before her eyes light up. "Seems you do want it."

"One of my coworkers, Merita-san, she wasn't able to reserve one in time and ended up getting randomized, probably like you. This one's actually next to me, mind if I take it and give her yours? Just in case you do end up watching."

"Alright, go ahead."

She takes the printed ticket and folds it before tucking it into her coat's pocket, exchanging it with the paper that was already in there. She hands it to me and as I unfold it, I realize it was another ticket.

"You have both?"

"She's too swamped in backed up work to go out asking people so I have both tickets just in case. Normally I'd just email around but seeing as I was taking a walk I figured I'd bring mine around anyways."

"Sounds like that'd be more convenient, though."

"Well, everyone's probably printed theirs out so no need to send the forms. That and I can always cover that later." She says with a shrug. "Well, see you around, Shino-san."

"Take care, Tsuketa-san."

* * *

The days leading up to the battle are fairly tense, but in a good way. The spirit of competition is evident through the halls of the school.

Several of the combatants have also come to me looking for ways to boost their self-confidence, especially those that thing are going to make it to fighting the upperclassmen.

Orimura also comes to visit. Apparently he's managed to piss off 'Rin', or Huang-kun, and now she's about ready to kick his ass.

They are also the first battle lined up.

We did manage to have a laugh about how he always seems to be finding his way into trouble, and I encouraged him to perhaps watch himself a little more. With a quick pep talk, I did once again encourage him to do his best—that's all anyone was asking from him now.

Of course, he still did want to win. He had been working towards it but I'm not sure how much it'll help him. Orimura is the most green person in terms of combat, he'll need lots of in the field experience to catch up.

But regardless, it seems he wants to do as best as he can.

Quite the nice outlook, if I do say so myself.

Soon the day of the beginning of the tournament arrives. I'm sitting alone in my office, the livestream feed on my screen. To my left side are some guilty pleasure foods such as chicken alfredo, garlic bread, and some tiramisu. I figured if I would be watching the battles from here while also doing some work on the side, I might as well get comfortable.

Oh, also I managed to repay my favor to Sullivan-san. After doing quite the exchange of tickets, I managed to get her a front row seat, right where she wanted. Looks like that trade with Tsuketa came in handy.

Orimura against Huang, hm… It's beginning.

I watch the frantic battle go. Orimura seems to be unable to get close, but then he used this new move and cut through the distance like _that_. The commentators over the stream called it _Ignition Boost_ , which I guess is a term that IS battle fans should be familiar with.

The livestream also has an overlay on it so we can see their shield points. Orimura is losing, as I thought, but he's putting up a good fight. The difference between them is just below a hundred and fifty shield points but it's shrinking faster than it's growing.

It seems that while Orimura is being nimble and getting more hits in, every hit that Huang deals to him just deals more damage. I suppose looking at the size of their blades gives an explanation for this on why. It's simple physics. Even someone like me who can barely do Calculus should be able to understand. Or maybe it's because Alicia beat it into me after a while.

After ten minutes, the battle comes to a fever pitch. They're hovering both at around three hundred shield points, with the crowd screaming for the underdog. It looks as if Orimura might actually overcome—

The screaming changes reasoning in the exact moment their swords clash.

I barely saw it too. A purple column crashed down on the livestream feed. A purple beam also erupts out of the smoke. The livestream quickly cuts out before anything more can be shown. A text comes up on my phone along with an automated email telling us that this is an emergency.

I bite my lip. What the hell…

No, I know what I have to do.

I immediately begin drafting up my email to the headmaster. Almost the entire students will be there. All three years of students. Faculty that aren't used to this sort of thing, I assume as well.

Many of us are all used to seeing these battles on TV. Controlled, predictable, and nothing more. But this… this is a live battleground now, or so it seems. I can assume that this was not planned by the fact the livestream was shut down and of course, the emergency call.

I worked for a bit with veterans back home, so I know somewhat how to handle this. But it will be my first time dealing with clients at such a young age exposed to such a thing.

But either way, this duty now falls upon me.

* * *

Two hours after the finale of the incident, Kutsuwagi Juuzou walks into my office with a grave look on his face.

"Are you serious?"

I fold my hands together and look him dead in the eye. "If this is about the email I sent you, yes, I am very serious. Hundreds of students to get through. I would like to see each and every one of them as fast as possible without sacrificing the necessary time it takes to really help them."

"Shino-san, even for you, that is a monumental ta—"

"Kutsuwagi-san, I have the help of the other medical staff. But I intend to take on the biggest brunt of all this. You brought me here to help the students. This is an extreme situation that they _need_ someone to talk to. I don't care how many hours I have to work or the cost to me—all I care for is that my job is done right and well."

He bites his lip, looking at me. I don't break the gaze.

"Your plan though, you'd be seeing students almost all day for God knows how long."

"Indeed. And I intend to help each one as much as I can. Now, Kutsuwagi-san…"

I stand up, walk out from behind my desk, and bow deeply.

"I ask of you: please go through with this plan. You know there are hundreds of students that need to be seen and screened. I am the psychologist here, yes, but the other staff can still help. The medical staff does have some people who can do what I do, but I am the one with the most direct experience in clinical psychology."

"I can't willingly let you do that. You'd break yourself, you'd burn out."

"Then do you intend to just let those students sit there? I have to see every single one. And in this situation, time is of the essence. I want them all to have someone to confide in and someone to let know what they're thinking. This was an intense situation for them. If not just me, then all the faculty as well. I am sure everyone can do something to help out. There are several of us who sponsor clubs, they can talk to those students as well, or at least get them situated before a professional sees them. But if you cannot willingly let me go ahead with that plan, then I offer right back—I cannot willingly just let a single student go without at least knowing everything has been done for them given such a situation. I would suggest getting outside help but this is delicate situation, one that is more likely to try to be kept within IS Academy. Otherwise, I would suggest the old firm I worked at, as there are several there who have worked with combat veterans."

The silence in the air hangs for a full minute. I understand Kutsuwagi is thinking of me, but at the same time, the students come first. I can do this. I can definitely do this.

On Sheryl Rashein's name, I can absolutely do this. Not a single one will be lost.

"…I will email you the tweaked plan later, but for now you will have free reign. On the condition that you take a break if you even feel the slightest need to. I would hate to have to replace you, you've done wonderfully in this short time span so far.."

"You flatter me. Very well, I'll do as you say."

"Don't lose yourself, Shino-san. You say that the students need help, but you too, may need help. Don't take everything alone—you should know by now that the staff look out for one another."

"Mhm. I'll keep it in mind. Now, I need to prepare. I have several of the frontline students to screen today."

He nods. "Then, please help them."

"I will do my best."

With that, he disappears, walking into the hallway. I take a breath and nod to myself. It's go time. Everything I have done before with my experience, it is all for this. I will not fail.

"Good evening, sorry to call you so suddenly." I say as Huang enters the room fifteen minutes later. "How are you feeling, Huang-kun?"

She closes the door behind her and walks forward to the chair where she sits. "I'm… I'm fine, Shino-hakase."

Like I said to Tsuketa, let her mellow out. I kept my ears to the rumor mill and she's quite the energetic girl, just keeping a face up before Orimura Ichika tore it down and she started acting more like her real self. Seeing a girl who was said to be incredibly bubbly like this just goes to show the extent this disaster had on everyone.

"It's fine to let me know the truth, Huang-kun. That was… something intense, out there. Was that your first battle? As in, one where you understood that your life was really on the line?"

"What would you know?!" she suddenly shouts. I see, I need you to trust me.

"I've been in the position before. I've been a psychologist to those who were fresh back from their first tour in the Middle East and for old veterans who are slowly losing their minds. The new guys are arguably the worst hit. You can practice however much you want with paintball guns or live ammunition. It doesn't change how it feels to kill someone for the first time. Paintballs don't change the fact that the bullets actually harm and that your best friend who when normally would be pretty jovial about being hit with some paint is now lying next to you bleeding as you're pinned down. I may never have been the one pulling the trigger but I _know_ what it's like. In addition, there was a time before my practical knowledge. You're not the first person I've talked to in this environment, Huang-kun, and honestly the first time I had a real live patient with me, I thought my heart would explode from the anxiety—as someone's mental health was actually in my hands. Do you believe I know now?"

She swallows the imagery and the explanation I gave her with a silent nod. She doesn't fight back against it, so I think I'm getting to her.

"It was incredibly frightening, wasn't it? Deplete the shield points and everything is over, right? But this one wasn't like that."

"…no, no it wasn't like that."

I already have the reports of how much damage she took. Sullivan was able to get me that, too. She technically doesn't have clearance but she knows who does. It was a little sleight of hand and I intend to report it to the headmaster that I asked for those files specifically and prodded—even though I believe he'll see right through me—but I'll argue it was necessary.

"You came a little close to zeroing out, right?"

She nods. "So you were told?"

"I wanted to understand what you might have been feeling, so I needed to know. Were you scared?"

"Anyone would be."

A pretty noncommittal response.

"Can you describe how it felt? What went through your mind when you were fighting that thing?"

She seems to clam up, physically, trying to make herself smaller. "…hey, you won't say a word, right?"

"Of course. That's my job, and it would be unprofessional and unethical to tell others."

"Then… I felt so scared about how I thought I would die. All of my training went out the window. The simulations would say you would die, but it was just a restart away. This time, it was… and Orimura-kun, too, I was so scared for him! He's so new at piloting and he was in the fray and I didn't know he was talking with Alcott-san so when the Golem was about to hit him for the finishing blow I—" she takes a breath, trying to calm herself down.

She hangs her head down.

"…that idiot." The whisper comes, and I can see a tear go down her face.

I pull out a tissue from the box and hand it to her, with Huang taking it without a word. "I understand. It's like getting As in classes, but then you find out when given a practical issue, you can't really solve it and have trouble."

Huang nods while wiping her face.

"Did it feel better to get that out?" Another nod. "Good. Well, I'm glad you've opened up a bit. Tell me anything else you want me to know. Bottling everything up is never good for you."

Huang tells me a little more. How utterly scared she was at Ichika's charge, how the guilt was crushing down on her before the shots from Alcott at how she couldn't save that friend of hers she hadn't seen in so long, and how despite being a Representative Pilot, being buttered up and being one of the best of an elite few—none of that had mattered to an apparently unmanned unit.

I had seen this case before. Where all the training means nothing. Hell, I've experienced it myself, too.

After about thirty seven minutes, Huang stops talking, with me no longer giving back responses.

"Is that everything you have to say?"

"Ye… yes, Shino-hakase."

"Well, if you ever think you need to come back and let me know that something's troubling you, my door is always open. I never turn away anyone unless I have no choice. Which is almost never."

"Hey, Shino-hakase."

"Yes?"

"You're going to be talking to Orimura-kun too, right?"

I nod silently.

"Then… please take care of him as well."

You've got good people at your side, Orimura. People who really care for you.

I give a confident smile. "I'll do my best to do so, Huang-kun. Good talk today. I hope you don't need to come back and see me again for this incident, it would mean you're well onto recovery and it will be a learning experience in how practical experience can trump all the simulations in the world for you rather than a terrifying one."

"Thank you, Shino-hakase."

"Well, good evening then, and treat yourself tonight. Some relaxation is certainly due for you."

Without another word, she smiles and exits the room. With my microexpression training, I know it's genuine. Ha… I can't help but feel a bridge was crossed with her. That's one down for tonight. I am fairly certain that I can sign off on her being fine, but I will recommend that her IS be put on some sort of restricted mode for a day or two.

Next is Alcott.

Unfortunately, Alcott is much more stubborn. She's slightly tapered off after the battle with her and Orimura, but she's still clearly annoyed at me most likely for just being a man.

In other words, it's very difficult to do my job. Fifteen minutes have gone by and zero progress.

My apologies for what I'm about to do, Alcott, but I need to do this.

" **Alcott!** " I say, suddenly raising my voice, slamming one hand on the desk, ignoring the honorific to catch her attention.

The girl in front of me freezes, seizing up as I stand up from my seat, my hands on the desk.

"Listen to me, Alcott-kun. I'm going to put this simply for you." I hold up the sheets of paper I was writing on. "Do you understand what this is?"

"N… no." she mutters, probably having been taken aback by the fact that the peaceable, patient, and otherwise rather understanding Shino Galen was doing this to her right now, not to mention someone was being incredibly stern to her right now. It seems despite her attitudes, she still understands who is in the position of authority here. Good, I can use that.

" _This_ is a psychological evaluation. If I do not sign this, _you_ will not be allowed to pilot your unit as you will not be cited by a professional to be in any fit state to operate a weapon. If I deem it necessary, I can even recommend that your unit be suspended from you. That is to say, you will not even be allowed to have it on you. And _yes_ I do have that power. I myself cannot actually enforce it, but I can recommend to those who do that doing so would be the best course of action to preserve the safety of both you and the students around you.

"All I want to do is ask a few questions, Alcott-kun. I _want_ to be able to just talk to you, get your answer, and sign off on this paper because it means you are free to go and pilot your unit without fear of any problems. But you are making this difficult for me.

"And before you ask why I don't just sign it, do you understand what that signature means? It is an affirmation on my part that you are mentally able to pilot and operate a weapon. I need to able to be sure that you _are_ in such a state, because it would reflect poorly if you were not and I did sign off on it. Not to mention the _fact_ that it means I am putting you back with a weapon in the general public of this school.

"When I sign off on it, it means that you can go out there and be with your fellow peers without worry. Imagine I detect potential triggers that might set you off and cause you to do something drastic. I wouldn't sign off on these forms then, because I would be endangering not only you, but the lives of every other student in this academy. And that is why it is so _**bloody**_ important that I ask these questions and you cooperate." I say, using that slur _bloody_ from her homeland to emphasize my point, knowing damn well it's a slur. "I want to see that you are fine, Alcott, and I _want_ to be sure that you won't suffer any episodes because of this experience and I want to be able to help you if I believe there is a risk. But if you cannot sit here and answer a few questions truthfully, I will have no choice but to say that I cannot willingly and honestly sign off on you that you are in the proper mental condition to operate a machine of war. Am I _**understood**_?"

She nods slowly as I sit down and take a _long_ drink of water. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and then put on a neutral-if-slightly-positive-mood face.

"Now then, Alcott-kun, will you answer a few questions? It won't take much of your time."

She's out in roughly forty three minutes. It feels more routine and less organic than Huang's, but she responds fully to every question and I find no signs of immediate trauma. She is already familiar with death in a way, as her parents died in a train crash and the only reason she became a pilot and did all of her work was to protect her family's inheritance.

In a way, she was a little more prepared to face death on the field. Of course, this was the first time something precious of hers was on the line, seeing as her friend (as she said, although the signs are there that her feelings are romantic) was on the line and really could've died. It was incredibly frightening for her to think about it, let alone try to help him. Even knowing the plan where he'd put himself in danger, she was horrifically scared in the event that it failed.

Of course, the fact it came from Orimura worries me. A kid like that should _not_ be willing to risk his life like that so quickly. I already knew my profile of him that I was given was incomplete—well, I don't know that for sure, but I _know_ things were definitely left out. Someone is definitely working something behind the scenes and Kutsuwagi doesn't seem like the type to willingly hand me an incomplete profile.

I honestly am baffled as how to bring it up. I can't just ask for the full profile, nor can I try to extract it out of Orimura now. I can try to prod, but still. This will be tricky.

Orimura's discussion goes well, but he was definitely on guard once I tried to touch on the past. I guess I'm not trusted enough for that just yet. Shinonono is up as well, seeing as she was close by as well and was well affiliated with the combatants.

Haa… the most stressful ones are over now. But here comes the long haul. I will do my best to help all of them…

* * *

 _ **Dysfunction Junction**_

* * *

Day two since Shino had begun seeing to every student. Odama had come to help him relieve some tension, along with massaging his back after finding him sleeping on his desk.

"Ag—agh! Geez!"

"Oh calm down, you." Odama said as she massaged his back. "This is supposed to be the gentle part of the massage. Is your back so sore you can't take it? You need to work on your posture, then."

"Q… quiet, you."

"Ufufu. Where's your confidence now, Shino-san? You're just like Sullivan-san. Both of you, so cool and collected no matter what, but when someone's fingers are running down your back—"

"Gyah!"

"—you two just become like putty."

"You damn dominatrix…" Shino grumbled, earning a giggle from red haired teacher.

"Well, I wouldn't have to do this if you two would just get your posture right~ Sullivan-san always spends her days cooped up over a computer or bent over pipes and wires. Meanwhile, you spend your whole day pouring over papers, probably with your head down."

"Hmph."

"Getting snappy? Perhaps I'll loosen _up~ your~ neck~"_ she said, emphasizing the last three words and she began massaging the back of his neck, as she had caught Shino holding his head down as he kept looking over page after page.

 _Always surrounded by dangerous women._ Shino thought to himself.

"Teeheehee, you've got a terrified look on your face."

"I can't really see you, you have your hands near my neck, and you are over me, taunting me like a serial killer. You might as well be saying _'Would you like to play a game'._ "

"Um, I don't think I know that movie."

"Not much of a movie person?"

"I prefer to be on the making side."

"Oh? You're an independent creator?"

"Ufufu, I'm the club advisor for the animation club. The freshmen are so passionate, they want to finish an animated short film by the time they graduate and the third years want to help them with it, too~" she said, her pride very evident.

"Ah, I see."

"I'm very familiar with animation and the behind the scenes parts, but I must confess I'm not really a live action movie person."

"Then maybe I can help with that."

"Ufufu, are you asking me on a date, Shino-san? Are you going to juggle another woman in your life?"

"God, I made such a mistake associating with Orimura-san so quickly."

"Hehehe, maybe you did. But I think it's nice. Orimura-san can be kind of intimidating, so the fact you can cross that bridge is a good thing. I think a lot of people would like to talk with her and now they have you to help ease being around her."

"You act like a dominatrix while massaging my back, yet you're afraid to approach her?"

"Orimura-san can be a little scary."

"I guess she can."

"But you talk to her so easily."

"I guess it's because I was never really into the whole IS culture. I was sort of forced to look at it objectively for a long time."

"Oh? I didn't know about that. You never talked about it." She says, continuing to massage Shino's back. "Was it what you wrote your doctorate on?"

"No, my thesis was on IS 'personalities', excuse the such loose use of the term, and pilot mental health. When I spoke of how I had to look objectively for a while, it was back during when I was writing my first academic paper on the social norms and perceived roles in IS-based society."

"Ah… how was that?"

"Miserable. It wasn't a… popular topic at the time."

"Oh…" she nodded to herself. "You had to talk about the bad things, too, right?"

"Yes. I looked at data such as the amount of assault cases that were reported and also had to look at a lot of new reports. While there were a lot of stories, I had to be able to scientifically verify them. You've heard stories about how in public women can pretty much force men to do whatever they want?"

"Mhm. It's… not nice." She muttered, with Galen detecting signs of sympathy in her voice.

 _Perhaps she's seen it consume previous friends._ He thought before speaking. "Odama, you're digging your nails into my back."

"A-ah! So-sorry about that!"

"It's fine."

She coughed, resuming her massaging.

"So, what did you for that?"

"I went around to all sorts of places with my team. Shopping malls, amusement parks, even rest stops along the road. We made sound recordings with observational studies, all of that. It was difficult to get something like a lab study, too. But we did it, despite the opposition from some of the department. But my mentor never backed down. She was an old woman, probably set for retirement so she figured she would help me. And she was a bit of a crank, too, but she was prideful of the standards we ought to be held up to."

"She sounds nice."

"Yeah, Doctor Maltese was a good woman."

"Heeheehee, you have such a nice smile on your face."

"Is it so wrong to when I'm remembering someone I'm fond of? That woman… I'd cite her as the reason I even went through with my PhD in the end. Even if Alicia gave me some encouragement, she was always there to offer advice."

"What does she do now?"

"Well, if my last chat with her was any indication, she golfs every day. Her husband still kicks her ass though, but last I heard she only lost by three strokes. Enough about me, why don't we talk about you for a while?"

"Little old me~? Why, are you asking for a lady to reveal her secrets, Shino-san?"

"I'm asking for you to tell me a little about yourself since it seems I've been slacking in working with others here."

"Well, if you must know, my three sizes are—"

"Not that information!"

"Ehehe, just kidding~ Besides, that's not for you to know."

"I suppose. But if I wished to know, I could always ask Samson-san, right?"

"G-gyah!"

 _Ah yes, there it is._ Shino thought, smiling to himself. "So, tell me about your history together. It was blatantly obvious at the staff dinner before school started that you two had history."

"Uuuuu… fine. We used to be… together. But, ahahaha, let's just say sometimes you try things that um, really make a lot of distance."

"Seeing as you put out dominatrix sounding lines like it's natural for you, did you try being on the masochistic side of an S-and—"

"Aaaaah! Stop! Stop, please!" she cried out, glad that Shino couldn't see her wildly red face that she so desperately wanted to cover in shame. But she knew if she were to remove her hands from Shino's back, he would instantly know the movement she made.

"It seems I hit the nail right on the head. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"That… that doesn't help right now…"

"Heh. Well, let's move onto a different topic. You said you help with the animation club?"

"Mhm!" She was thankful for the topic shift. "Mainly I help the girls voice act and recite their lines. I could have gone into voice acting but I decided to become a teacher instead."

"Can I ask why?"

"Well… I liked seeing the smiles on the faces of children. That one felt much more rewarding to me. That, and ehehe, I didn't practice as much as I should have to become a voice actor. But when I heard the animation club needed an advisor, I volunteered right away. I gave them some pointers and earned their respect, and here we are! And more importantly, you haven't poked around any clubs."

"I'll think about it after all of this."

"Well, stop by any time. Maybe you could lend your voice. I could train your throat very well. Ufufu."

Shino rolled his eyes as Odama's fingers left his back. He rose from the massage seat he was on, sighing with much relief.

"I'm done~"

"Ah. Thank you very much, that feels a lot better."

"No pro—not heading back to your room just now? It's getting late."

"I am going to sleep." Shino said as he pulled something out of his closet. Odama blinked as he unzipped the bag, unfurling a…

"A sleeping bag…?"

"I can shower here in this building—it's a longer walk from here to my room than it is from here to the closest shower room in the locker rooms."

"Does it really matter?"

"Every second I could be with a student is important." Shino said, a very serious look on his face as he also took out a pillow from his closet. "Thank you for everything, Odama-san. If you could lock the door on your way out, that would be good."

Odama gave him a concerned look as she lifted the lightweight massage chair. "Ah... well, good night then, Shino-san."

"Good night, Odama-san. And thank you, for the massage and the talk. It was nice to think about something else for a while other than all the stories and fear I've heard."

"Anytime, Shino-san."

With that, the door closed behind her.

She looked back at the now locked door, where surely, he was preparing to actually sleep in his office.

 _He's… really dedicated to the students. I've never seen someone who was willing to go so far._ She thought as she then turned around and started walking down the hall. _I'm sure everyone will rally around you, Shino-san. Everyone here wants the students to be fine, and here you are, slaving away, making sure that's the case._

 _The student atmosphere is riding on your shoulders. We won't allow you break, okay~?_

* * *

Day four since Galen had begun seeing all of the students.

Komine quietly walked towards Galen's office, a tray of dinner in her hands. She hadn't tried making Italian food like this before, but she thought she would make an attempt in order to give him a morale boost.

Rumors said that he hadn't left the office in order to process every single student that wanted to see him. The headmaster had also sent out an email on the first day that contained a letter from Galen inviting every student that encouraged them to see him, containing instructions for them on how they could schedule a meeting time and some encouragement especially for first years to talk to him. Apparently he was also pursuing a few of the first years that hadn't come to see him yet, as Tsuketa said they were the ones at most exposed to mental risk.

Regardless, she wouldn't be surprised if Galen not leaving his office was true, but she was still concerned for him. Every time she had checked on him, whether it was at nine o'clock in the morning, noon, six o'clock in the evening, or ten thirty at night, he was talking with a student. One time he did call her in and asked her if she might make meals for two so he might offer the students some food as well. While she felt a bit of a blow to her pride, she knew he was only trying to help the students.

"I hope he's awake…" Komine muttered to herself as she approached the door at around quarter to midnight, looking at the tray. She had two plates of slow-cooked Italian-style beef stew, a salad, some garlic-seasoned breadsticks she prepared, and two wine glasses to go with the bottle of pinot noir she rushed to get. "Ah… his door is open…? But it's after hours…"

She carefully opened the door with her tray of food.

"A… ah, good evening, Orimura-san." She said to the black haired woman in the room who was stirring something in a mug as she sat at Galen's desk. Her eyes quickly darted around the office, spotting the sleeping form of Galen, still dressed in his suit that he wore to work every day minus the jacket that he was using as a blanket, on the floor in a sprawled out sleeping bag. "Is Shino-san asleep?"

"He is. I found him asleep when I came to check on him thirty minutes ago."

"I see." She said, putting the tray on a table in the center of the room.

"If you'd like me to leave, I can."

"No, it's fine." Komine said, not missing a beat as she shuffled over next to the sleeping bag Galen was sleeping on. She knelt down next to him and then laid a hand on his forehead, nodding. "Good. I was worried he might get sick working like this. But then again, it seems like Shino-san would be used to this. Ah, Orimura-san, if you'd reach two cabinets to your left, there should be a space blanket in there."

Orimura blinked twice before setting the mug down and following Komine's instructions, pulling out the item. She brought it over to Komine, who took off the blazer that Galen had been using as a blanket and replacing it with an actual blanket.

"I'll go ahead and wash this for him." She said, rising to her feet in an elegant motion. "Please watch over him."

"Wasn't planning on leaving him until he woke up." Orimura replied in a calm, crisp voice, before sipping from the mug in her hands. "Classes are still postponed while all of this gets sorted out."

With that, Komine left right away. Orimura shook her head, chuckling to herself before immediately snapping to attention as yet another person entered the room.

"Aaaah, Orimura-san." Mazumina said, walking into the room before spotting the food on the table. "Oh, Haruna-san must've already swung around."

"She was going to go wash his coat."

"I see…" she muttered, turning her body to very ineffectively hide the pillow behind her back.

"I don't bite and I can see the pillow, Mazumina-san."

"A-ah! Right, um, I just thought I'd bring a scented pillow. One of the girls from the gardening club wanted me to pass it on to him." With a bit of skip in her step, she ran over to where Galen was sleeping and exchanged the pillows under Orimura's watchful eye. "Um… is it okay for me to ask why you're here, Orimura-san?"

"Is it so wrong to want to know a fellow coworker is doing fine? In addition, he looked after my brother. This is partially in thanks for that."

"R-right!"

It was evident she was still somewhat intimidated in a one-on-one meeting with Orimura.

"But he's pushing himself a little too far, don't you think? Then again, Shino-san would just say this is what was expected of him."

Sip.

"Mhm."

"So… is there anything else we can do to help? You're one of the more inner people on this, right? Is there anything we can do to help the students?"

Orimura closed her eyes and sighed.

"I don't know what you could do, other than try to keep their minds in a generally normal mood until Shino-san can get to them. If they're troubled… just do whatever you can." Orimura paused before looking down at her drink, coughing to clear her throat. "…I'm not exactly good at this."

"Hehe, so even the great Orimura Chifuyu has her weaknesses?"

"My job is an instructor. While I can help my students with some of their troubles, something on this level isn't something I'm really trained for." She muttered, looking somewhat troubled. The fact that for all she could do, especially for her brother, helping him calm down and overcome a traumatic event something like this professionally out of her skillset. All she could do was place her faith in Galen.

"Mmm. I can't really help them either. Maybe I'll set up a gardening event, some of the girls here might be able to calm down with that."

"It could help. At this point, anything we do for the students that might help is good. Just run it by the headmaster first so there's some kind of organization in all of this, even if he did call for all of us to help out how we could. We've never had something on this scale happen before."

"Yeah… I just hope this is the last time it happens."

Orimura pushed back an urge to sigh.

 _While that is everyone's hopes… I doubt it will be the last. This reeks of being the beginning to something much greater._ She clenched her fists. _…if it goes after my brother, I will certainly defeat them._

"I'm back."

Everyone awake in the office turned to Komine, who had walked back into the room carrying a sweater. "I've put his blazer to wash and realized I hadn't returned his sweater."

Putting the folded piece of clothing on the table next to the food, she walked over to the others. "He's still fine?"

"Nothing's changed, Haruna-san."

"Thank you, Mazumina-san."

"It's quite lively in here today, isn't it?"

"Hehe, I didn't take Shino-san to be a night-life pers—"

The door to his office opened again, revealing Franchee. "Yes, yes, hold on, he's right here."

He walked over to Galen, holding out his phone so the screen faced the psychologist.

" _GALEN! GALEN! WAKE UP YOU SON OF A BITCH!"_ came the angry yells from the phone.

The other three women in the room looked at Franchee, who only shrugged.

Shino stirred from his sleep, blinking. "Guh… Ali… cia… what the hell?"

" _ARE YOU AWAKE YET?!"_

"Ye-yeah, I'm up, geez, it's—"

" _I don't care what time it is!_ _ **Four days!**_ _It's been four days since the news report and you haven't given any of us, not even Ralph, not even Ushio, a goddamn phone call! You haven't let us know you're okay, you son of a bitch! All you did was send a quick text saying you might be busy aaaagh!"_ The reddish-brown haired women wearing a labcoat visible on the phone screen yelled. _"Guuuuh, if I could take a vacation right now I'd fly over so I could uppercut your sorry ass! And then shove my foot so far up your ass you'll feel my shoelaces in your throat!"_

"H-hey now, let's just calm down a little…"

" _How the hell can I be calm when I have Ushio asking me every twelve hours if you're okay?! Goddammit, not even a follow up text?!"_

"I… I'm sorry, Alicia." Galen said, his head uncharacteristically kept down and a subdued expression on his face. "Should've known better."

" _Damn right you should! You owe me the next ro—no, you owe all of us the next ten rounds of drinks! And you owe Ushio at least like, two concert tickets! Front row, too! And you're going with her!"_

Galen couldn't help but put a smile on his face as he rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll be glad to only get away with ten."

" _Hmph! But…"_ The voice suddenly lost all of its aggression. _"I'm just glad to see you're okay. Make sure to call Ushio when you get the chance, okay? She's been worried sick about you. Madeline too. Everyone back home heard the news, Galen, but you never called. Even though they said no casualties, it doesn't stop us from fearing for you."_

Galen was about to talk when he realized his situation. All eyes in the room were on him.

" _Eh? You looked like you were about to say something. Something wrong?"_

"I just realized it's about midnight and I have an appointment at eight thirty. I _was_ sleeping, but you so _rudely_ woke me up." He replied, his composure returning.

" _Well you wouldn't have let us know you were okay if I hadn't, so we're even. By the way, thanks Franchee! Galen wasn't answering his phone, probably working himself to death again."_

"Hey!" Galen shouted as the older man chuckled. "I was not about to work myself to death!"

" _God, I hope not. Because if you did, I'd kill you. Now, get some sleep. You've got some work to do, right?"_

"Yeah. Thanks for the boost, Alicia."

" _Always here for you, Galen."_

"You mean always here to punch me, don't you?"

" _Hey, it got your ass up off the couch to finish your doctorate, right? Anytime, old friend~"_ With the sound of a kiss echoing over the phone speakers, the call ended.

"…always a wild one, weren't you, Alicia?" Galen said to himself with a smile. "…so, um, why is everyone in my office?"

"Well," Franchee said as he pocketed his phone. "It seems that like your colleague back home , she was concerned for you. Tsuketa-san would also like to be here, but she's swamped in medication papers, so I extend her regards."

"Ah, well, please tell her that I wish her well as we get through these times."

Franchee nodded before starting to walk through the door. "Have a good night, Galen."

"Thanks."

Galen then looked around, finding himself alone with three women. "Um… well, I'm… thank you, for ah, coming to see me. It… it means quite a lot to me. But I really should get to sleep, I want to be at tiptop shape for tomorrow."

"Ah! I'll wrap up the food, then. Would you mind if I put it in your fridge, Shino-san?" Komine said, quickly moving for the food.

"Not at all, thank you—oh, the blanket. And I don't recognize this pillow."

"A gift from one of the girls you've seen, Shino-san." Mazumina explained to him. "The rumors you've been sleeping in your office are creeping out to even the students and she wanted to pass it along even if it wasn't the case."

"That's… well, I'll keep it in here, but I don't think I should use it. It's her pillow, after all. Where's my jack—"

"Washing, or so Komine-san said." Orimura explained from the side, putting the mug down. "She also brought your sweater back."

"Agh, I had been meaning to ask about that."

Orimura got up then walked over to Galen, kneeling down to him.

"Thank you for talking to my brother." She whispered, low enough for only the two of them to hear it. She then increased her voice's volume again. "Now, get some rest. We just wanted to make sure you weren't about to break. It wouldn't do for you to well out of the gate but fall only ten meters before the finish line."

"I suppose so. Thank you for the support, Orimura-san."

"By the way, you didn't hear it from me, but I hear there's something for you for taking on this arduous task."

"Is it going to be a private trip with you to the beach, the epitome of dreams for many men in the world?"

He earned a smack to the head for that one, chuckling.

"Idiot." Her cutting reply came, although there was the slightest tinge of embarrassment. "Don't say such stupid things."

"I wouldn't ask for that, after all. I'd rather ask for my friends to be flown over for a weekend. Or maybe enough alcohol to pacify Alicia because I can already hear my wallet crying."

"She seemed like a good person. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to monitoring curfew. Good night, Shino-san." She said, getting up and walking out the door to the office.

"Good night, and thanks again, Orimura-san." With that, Galen turned to Mazumina. "Oh, and please tell your student I said thank you and also, thank _you_ for delivering it. I see you know some very good-hearted students."

"Hehehe, she wasn't originally your biggest fan, you know? But I think after hearing everything you were doing for the students and also talking with you, she couldn't help but warm up to you."

"Well, if it makes my job easier, all the better. Now then, you should get to sleep as well. Komine-san, are you almost done?"

"Mhm. I'll just put it in the fridge now, please heat it whenever you have the chance."

"Thank you very much."

"I'll just make myself scarce~"

With that, Mazumina took off, giggling as she closed the door with a wink.

"Galen-san."

"Komine-san?" He asked, taken a bit aback by the first name usage.

"Do you mind if I call you that for now…?"

"No, not at al—" He paused as he was suddenly held from behind in a warm embrace. "Komine-san?"

"Thank you, for all of your work for the students. I've never seen someone willingly throw themselves into the fray like this before and… I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." She said, pulling away. "But please, please continue to help these students. We'll be right beside you."

"I'm glad. Now, Komine-san, you should get some sleep as well. The storm is hardly over and there is still much to do."

"Mhm. I'll bring a futon for you, too. That sleeping bag looks adequate, but it could be more comfortable."

"Well, if you want."

She gets up to her feet and nods. "I'll see if I can find a good time for you then."

"Thank you. Please lock the door on your way ou—how did they get my key, anyways…?"

"Hmm. I'm not quite sure. Perhaps Orimura-san managed to convince someone to give her a key. Anyways, good night, Galen-san."

With that, Komine left and locked the door behind her. Galen sighed, shaking his head.

 _Geez… so troublesome, but still. I'm glad that they were here for me. I'll definitely get through this. For all these students, who deserve to have the best that I can offer them._

 _I will_ _ **not**_ _break._

* * *

 _ **Dysfunction Junction**_

* * *

I down another cup of coffee during my lunch break.

"What cup is that now?" Sullivan asks, turning the page of her magazine. She came to the office to at least check up on me, along with delivering some more reports. I wanted her here so I could ask about the shields breaking and how much in danger any of the students were.

After she gave that report, we've just started talking while I wait for my next appointment. One of the limitations Kutsuwagi placed on me was that I was not allowed to see any students during my lunch break unless it was an emergency, that way I would at least have a break for _some_ time in the day. I've had a lot of visitors, people I've never even really met before. Komine always asks if I have lunch too, where I often tell her not to worry because a lot of others come up here and pass me food anyways.

I guess it was true when they said the staff helps each other out.

"That would be four today." I say after downing it.

"Heh. How many more appointments today?"

"Let's see, I've got the first one after the break at one o'clock today. I usually go up to eleven, so that would be hopefully fifteen more students today."

"You're crazy."

"Someone has to do it. Tsuketa-san and the other medical staff have helped out those that they already know had conditions and medications, so thankfully some work has been taken off my shoulders."

"Maybe we should have more than just you, no offense."

"I think something like this wasn't thought of. This type of disaster has no precedent, but that might help. If this is a one-time thing, that would be nice."

"Indeed. Hey, Shino."

"What is it, Sullivan?" I say, as between just us we drop the honorific because of our roots in the more western side of the world.

"Can I ask why you did all this? The headmaster is trying to make it seem like he's dropping the work on you but all the rumors don't believe him."

"Heh, figured me out, huh?"

"It was pretty apparent that only someone like you would do something that crazy. I wish half the team had your kind of work ethic."

"So you mean you wish half your team would work themselves to the point of people fearing they'd work themselves to death?"

"Well, more like that they'd go above and beyond all the time. Hell, I wish _I_ had that kind of ethic."

"You don't really wish that. Honestly, sometimes I envy people who feel like they can slack off. But I don't get that kind of luxury."

"Oh?" she asks, leaning forward in interest.

"There's people who at their jobs, do feel like they can be lax for even just one day. But for me, when I see that person in the chair sitting in front of me, ready to tell me whatever's on their mind… I can't slack off. Every day, a person's mental health and possibly their life are in my hands. If I even cut loose for a minute, I might lose them. I can't do that."

"Ah, I see. I suppose that goes for our team, too. If we miss even a single failing circuit, on that day…"

"The shields might have failed for a portion of the audience, right?"

"Not a pretty thought." She mutters, shaking her head while reaching for her water and starting to drink it. "Hey, let's talk about something a little more lighthearted."

"Hm. Oh, I started reading that web novel, um, _Mousorder?_ "

I pause as Sullivan coughs on her drink, setting it aside before pounding her chest a little.

"S-sorry, cough came up as I drank. Continue."

"A little… well, cringey? I don't know, maybe it's secondhand embarrassment or something back from when I was younger. But I guess the story around Guda's power is a nice mystery, plus I think the mechanics of their delusions powers are well thought out. It reflects a lot on their personalities as well: Guda has a complex thinking process and his skepticism obviously suit him well for his nullifier ability—but the nuance where when he believes in something, it also becomes stronger was appreciated. And Yuu's ease at creating delusions fits wonderfully with her broken home life, as she's seeking an escape from reality."

"Mhm."

"I could go on, but it seems you're familiar. I'll have to catch up, but it's been a relaxing read for me while I'm on my break."

"I see… well, I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"So, who's seeing me tomorrow? No one seems to want to just leave me alone."

"Heh, well, it's pretty apparent about what the hell's on your shoulders, so you know how it goes. I think Kapato-san, one of the third year teachers, wanted to come talk to you then."

"Another unfamiliar name, I believe."

"You probably would've met them at the staff dinner if they hadn't been scared off by the fact you were already seeming associating with Orimura-san, you know?"

"Feh, it's always that, isn't it…" I mutter with a sigh.

"Your fault, you know."

"You know, why _is_ everyone scared after I talked to her?"

"Well for one, anyone sharp and confident enough to approach her is already something that could be intimidating and two, well, it goes back to how she threw away the second Mondo Grosso final for her brother. No one wants to mess with people who they think Orimura views positively, lest they bring on the rage."

"I see… I guess I'll have to work to make myself seem a little more open."

"At least now you have people coming in for you now, right?"

"The circumstances could be a little better though."

"That's true. Anyways, it seems like your break is almost over."

I take a look at my watch and nod. "So it seems. I'm surprised you brought a hamburger though. Seeing as you were from Britain, I was expecting the classic fish and chips combo."

She snorts, rolling her eyes. "Well, I _have_ been living in Japan for some time now. The whole British thing has probably fallen off save for a few roots that have dug deep."

"Ah, I suppose I could have guessed by your lack of a major accent. It seems to have gone away too."

"Heh, don't remind me about that. My father was _quite_ disappointed about it." She says while laughing, getting up from her seat and taking her water bottle.

"I know that feeling. My parents were originally not excited about me dating Alicia at first since she wasn't really the type of girl they were looking for. A little too uh, foul-mouthed for their liking."

"Heh. I heard about how she called Franchee because you wouldn't pick up your phone. Seems like a fiery kind of woman."

"Literally punched me to finishing my doctorate."

"Ha! She seems like the type to do so. Anyways, I should get back to work. Good luck with the rest of the students."

"Thanks, Sullivan-san, and thanks for the food again."

"If I have some time, should I bring some afternoon tea for you?"

"I was never a big fan of tea, but perhaps that since I'm now living in Japan, I should get used to the taste. Thanks for the suggestion. Anyways, I need to prepare."

"Mhm. Well, perhaps I'll bring around some nice black tea for you."

With that, Sullivan nods, leaving the room.

Alright… let's continue. This is hardly even halfway. But I won't slack off, not even for a single moment.

Everything is riding on my shoulders. I must be successful.

* * *

 **HOLY SHIT I WAS ON** _ **FIRE**_ **WRITING THIS CHAPTER.**

 **Alright, bam. I did the Rin intro, easy peasy. And then the battle begins. Followed swiftly by the Golem wrecking everyone's shit.**

 **And then Galen throws himself into the grinder. I thought this was a good chance to really highlight his beliefs. He's talked before about making sure the students are okay and sticking to his job, but for something like this he goes above and beyond. Of course, his words also contain a reference to the name "Sheryl Rashein", who's been brought up before and it's been hinted at what role she's played in Galen's life. It also gives me a potential out to introduce a new character that I was still deciding on whether or not to use them. Seeing as Galen has really been the only psychological specialist on the island, although the narration notes that Tsuketa and the other medical staff are able to help out but not to the extent that Galen can. I was thinking about having a second psychologist character as Galen's backup since such a massive disaster was not anticipated.**

 **Also, got to have some fun with Galen's characterization when dealing with Rin and Cecilia. Seriously I have been holding onto that goddamn speech that Galen gave to Cecilia for** _ **SO**_ **long now. Either way, I got to focus a little more on Odama and give her some characterization, along with Mazumina. Plus some more of Galen's background.**

 **Had fun with Alicia's introduction as well. We hadn't really gotten to see her, other than knowing that she helped Galen with some encouragement in finishing his dissertation by giving him a sucker punch to knock him out of his funk. I gave her the 'fiery redhead' sort of personality, but she's really a nice person at heart, just the type to show concern as anger. XD**

 **While this was meant to be a serious chapter, I know I tried to slip in comedic moments. Personally I liked to think of it as the rest of the IS Academy staff trying to help Galen and the other medical team. While they deal with all of the serious student stuff the whole day, the others help out how they can by helping them relax. I thought to also use this big event as a catalyst for some of the bigger movements in characterization and relationships. You can see Odama (whose stance on Galen wasn't too well known) seeing him in a positive light, Chifuyu warming up to him some more by being prone to embarrassment, and Komine being very warm to him.**

 **And of course, I tried to keep the harem shenanigans to a minimum. Tsuketa, Sullivan, and Mazumina interact with him, but they're not "falling" for him. Tsuketa and him have developed sort of a friendly coworker relationship, Sullivan and him talk about a web novel and their choices with their parents, and Mazumina/Odama don't really try to get close to him. Odama just teases him, but this has been how she's interacted for a while and I thought to use the 3rd person segments to expose her line of thinking-she doesn't see him as a romance choice, but more "a person that should be respected for what he does to himself". I thought it the fitting line for this was when she thinks "We won't let you break" as compared to "I won't let you break", highlighting the fact that she's identifying more with IS Academy staff in helping him rather than completely personal one.**

 **Anyways, I hoped this chapter managed to be a little more "serious" in a way. I like to keep the work light-hearted, but I think that lettings the fangs sink in every now and then is a good thing. It's also a way to explore what those who aren't in the piloting suits are thinking and how normal people respond to things. Either way, let me know what you guys think, and see you next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Holy shit I am so sorry for it taking this long, but college has been really rough on me. Junior year is by far the worst and I barely have time to write anymore, not to mention I've apparently started writing a mod for a game, whoops.**

 **So yeah, that explains why this took way too damn long to get out. Exams are just about over, so I was able to finally edit this and put it up. Thanks for waiting this long, ugh.**

 **I'll have to do review replies later, I just want this up before I go party about my finals being done (lol).**

 **lol whoops did I take that long to put up my replies gg everyone, REVIEW REPLY TIME, GOOOO!**

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov:** Hey, thanks for reading, and thanks for the feedback. But yeah, I guess it's just an interesting take on things. I've seen a few other stories where there are engineers at the Academy, but I don't think I've seen anyone just try to look at this from the way of a person who wouldn't even be remotely close to technology at all which might be why it's so different. To be honest I'm surprised this idea wasn't really taken already, since the There Are No Therapists trope is pretty easy to avert considering that Infinite Stratos takes place in _modern_ times, there's no real way to justify not having a therapist somewhere. Anyways, thanks for sticking with me!

 **Guest:** There are times I'm kind of tempted to have Galen make some splashes at IS Academy, but I don't really know if he can do anything that majorly affects canon since his position is more reactionary than proactive. I might try something with Dunoa or Bodewig, but getting them down is going to be tricky (that, and it'll be much more fun to have him reacting to the situations) since it's been hinted at/sort of established Galen is being kept in the dark for some things, such as not having Ichika's entire profile and Ichika not telling him his full story, so it might be entirely possible that he simply doesn't _have_ the information to do anything, forcing him to just react to events.

 **Alright, there they are! Sorry for having it take waaaay too long!**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8:** Home Sweet Home

* * *

The door closes with a _click!_ meaning I'm done.

Every single student who wished to see me. Some of them up to four times.

It took over a week, no, maybe two, to do all of that, and classes resumed roughly three days ago, but I've finished.

I stand up from my desk and limp over to the sofas near the table before I let myself fall.

"Ha… I need a smoke…"

But I did say that I wouldn't do that anymore…

God, I feel _tired_.

My brain feels so scrambled. I've probably consumed more coffee in two days than the entire physics department at Princeton does in two months.

I turn my head over to the corner of gifts. These kids, honestly…

I suppose that you could say my popularity has skyrocketed, especially among the students. Having someone there, not to mention seeing their friends look a lot more lively after such a cataclysmic event… they definitely started viewing me as some sort of hope bringer.

Of course, I can't take all the credit. Tsuketa was amazing in providing backup and in addition, helping when it came to prescribing any needed medications. I've managed to direct some of them to her, but it still didn't help the sheer numbers of them that started handing me gifts.

Ugh, I hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass.

I did manage to sneak a call back to Ushio, who probably cried for thirty minutes at hearing my voice. I got an earful from Madeline but I explained why I did so. I still owe her, though, and she demanded that I give her a tour of the area nearby when they come to visit. And to pay for stuff. I can already hear my wallet crying.

Either way, those gifts. I haven't opened any of them, but they're all sitting neatly in this corner of the room, stacked in such a way as to prevent any of them from being crushed.

But ah…

My left hand slumps over and pulls the lever for the recliner portion. I can feel my legs move up as I sigh, letting out a deep breath of relaxation. Ha… much better.

Still though, I sense a questioning about Alicia incoming. Not to mention they described her as 'mouthy', of which I can only say 'Be glad she wasn't drunk'. That woman's has a _fierce_ mouth on her when she's mad.

"I'm getting shit-faced tonight." I mutter to myself, as if reliving my college years. "No, but I can't do that with wine. I'd probably have to go through a lot more compared to something like beer. Or li..."

My head is pounding. I honestly feel like I could just fall asleep at an… y… mom… ent…

* * *

I awaken to the smell of food coming into the room. Ugh, what time is it…

"Honestly…" I hear Orimura mumble from behind me. I keep my eyes closed for now, patiently waiting to see what she's doing here. "Is he even awake? No, of course he would be."

I listen to cloth shuffle closer to me. I hear a tray clack down on the table. Whatever the food is, it smells delicious.

"…he's asleep? Well, I suppose you've earned it. But now Komine's food is going to go to waste. Oi, wake up."

I decide to keep my eyes closed. I hear Orimura sigh in frustration.

My attention is perked by the sound of movement. The door… locks? What the hell is go—

"Gyggaghah!" I grumble as I find my cheeks pinched, my eyes opening up. "What the hell?!"

Orimura only smirks, still holding my cheeks. "I only wish I had a camera. You can fake sleep pretty well."

"Oh shut up. Let go of my cheeks."

She lets go without a fuss before gesturing over to the food. Stuffed shells? Sheesh, Komine, you're going to spoil me at this rate. People are going to get the wrong idea too, you've been shipping food to my door for these two weeks as well. I haven't even been paying for them.

"Such a loyal woman. When's the wedding?"

"Oh quiet you." I mutter, sitting up straight and putting the reclining portion back down. "Don't tell me the rumor mill is already pumping _that_ out. I haven't had the chance to press my ears to the wall in a while."

"I think I'll let you find out for yourself, _Freshmen Dream_."

"Oh my God please don't let that mean what I think it means."

Orimura turns a smug grin towards me. "It seems Komine might have some younger competition."

"I _really_ hope you're joking."

She looks over at the pile of gifts and only flashes another smug smile.

I make a scowling gesture that makes Orimura laugh with glee.

"Should I tell you how many of them I caught passing notes about your tastes in class today?"

"Please don't."

"Huhu, it seems my brother won't have to deal with as many girls pursuing him now."

"And _that_ is my cue to take a vacation."

"The headmaster might come around for that as well. You've pretty much done quadruple overtime. I won't be surprised if he orders you to take a vacation."

"A one day break should be fine. The weekend is coming up so I'll be able to recover."

"Somehow I don't think that's going to be fine with him. Now, eat. You wouldn't want Komine's efforts to go to waste now, wouldn't you?"

"…quiet, you." I grumble as I start eating the food that she sent my way. "But that's that. I've seen every single student now. I can only hope that I was successful."

"Don't talk yourself down like that."

"I don't get to know if I was successful, not unless every single one truthfully tells me how they're feeling later. And even then, this might affect them so far down the line. All I can do is hope I've done enough for them to be able to—"

I find myself slapped lightly across the face.

"You did well for the circumstances. Don't question it." Orimura says with a surprising amount of force in her voice.

"…thank you." I mutter, putting my plate down.

"Is this because of Rashein?"

"It might." I mumble, shaking my head.

"Raise your head. After throwing yourself into the grinder like that with such a selfless motive and nearly destroying yourself, you don't have the right to be shameful." She says, putting a finger under my chin and pulling my head up. "I won't allow it."

"…alright."

"You're surprisingly cowed for all you've done."

"This is the first time I've done this. It's only natural I doubt my handiwork. I suppose I should contact home and talk to someone professional about this."

"You should do th—"

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting something."

I immediately stand up along with Orimura and bow to the headmaster.

"Good evening, headmaster." We chime together.

"Oh, Orimura-san. I didn't expect you to be here. Anyways, I need to have a private conversation with Shino-san."

"Ahh, of course." Orimura nods. "I was just on my way out."

With that, Orimura wordlessly leaves us. I look at Kutsuwagi, who's holding a folder that he hands to me.

"You're being put on vacation. Two weeks, mandatory."

"Kutsuwagi-san, with all due respect, I shouldn't go so soon. If any of the girls have a relapse—"

"One week from Friday, Shino-san. That should be fine, correct?"

"Ah… yes, that should be enough time for any immediate cases." I mutter, looking away.

"I know you're concerned about the students, but you need this as well. Just let us know where you'd like to go. Two weeks, hotel and flight covered." He says as I look through the folder. "As long as it's not ridiculous in price, I'd be happy to approve it."

"Ahh, I see. I guess this might be a good chance to go back home. That would be fine too, right?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. Ah, but would you mind someone going with you? They'd of course, stay somewhere else, but we'd like to have someone there with you."

"This is so I don't start working again while I'm on vacation, right?"

"We wouldn't want your vacation to go to waste, Shino-san."

I roll my eyes. "Who's going with me?"

"That's up to you."

I weigh my options in my head. I could take someone familiar to me or someone unfamiliar to me. If I take someone familiar with me, I'll end up introducing them one way or another. I might have less relaxation time that way, seeing as they'll probably invited to stay in with us. This means less chance for my mind to be off IS Academy in general.

On the other hand, it would be rather invasive to ask for someone unfamiliar to me. It would no doubt cut into their time for working for someone they hardly know too well.

Decisions, decisions.

"Perfect time to introduce Komine-san to the family, yes?"

At this, I give the headmaster a bit of a 'really' look. It seems the rumors have reached his ears, but I decide to maintain a level of professionalism and don't grace it with a verbal response.

"I have some time, so…"

"Just let me know whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, Kutsuwagi-san."

"If you'll excuse me then. I seem to be interrupting your dinner."

With that, he leaves, closing the door behind him, with Orimura coming back in. Hmmm… really though, who to take? Komine wouldn't be a _bad_ option. I could certainly do worse. But would it be worth all of this office gossip?

Ah, maybe Sullivan might not be a bad option. We're on friendly terms. Mazumina might also be a good option, she does seem like a rather upbeat girl and I'm sure Ushio would take to her nicely.

"Welcome back."

"Heh. Well, what's the news?"

"Two weeks, bringing someone along, apparently as well." I say with a shrug

"You know, you might be thinking about who to bring, but quite frankly I think you're going to have others asking you. Two weeks vacation just to watch over you. Almost no effort required."

"I suppose I can see that." I say with a sigh, putting the folder on my desk before going to resume my dinner. "Though it seems even the headmaster's learned of all this gossip regarding Komine-san."

"That is a bit of your fault, though." She says with a definite tone of victory. "Well, I suppose I'll take my leave now. Oh, but just one last thing..."

"Hm?"

"Thank you, once again."

"It's just my job, Orimura."

"Is that so…"

I wait until Orimura leaves, hearing the _click_ of the door before I look at the stuffed shells and start eating them. Like I said before, geez Komine, you really will give people the wrong idea. These are pretty delicious though. I wonder if she looked up a recipe.

Either way, I am glad I can resume my normal schedule soon. While talking to all the students is well and good, I do miss it when I had some time for myself here.

...well, I guess Komine is the safer option. Of course, it would probably be amusing to drag Orimura there as well. But that's bound to cause plenty of trouble.

Ah, well, I've got some time, so I suppose I'll make my choice in a bit.

* * *

 _ **Dysfunction Junction**_

* * *

"Oof!" I grunt as I catch Ushio who threw herself at me, spinning her around before putting her on the ground. "How have you been, Ushio?"

"Better now that you actually called us, hmph!" she pouts, turning her head away. "Alicia said that you owe me concert tickets."

"Spare my wallet please."

"Front row."

"Mgh…"

"Ushio, let Galen have some relaxation first. Although I'll take a massage parlour trip, Galen."

"Not you too, Madeline…" I mutter as Ushio firmly plants herself at my side by clinging to my arm.

My old landlord gives me a serious expression before it melts away into a kind smile. "Of course not. Welcome home, Galen. And I see you've brought a woman?"

"Oh. Well, IS Academy forced me to bring someone to help monitor me so I don't start working aga—oh wipe that look off of your face." I say to Madeline rolling her eyes. "But yes, no need to be a stranger, over there."

Orimura looks at me from behind her sunglasses, as her hair is styled differently than normal. She gives a silent shrug.

"Not exactly a people person?"

"Eh, you'll have to forgive her. You have to really talk to her a lot to get her warmed up. Since she helped me out with the whole fiasco back at work, I thought I'd let her have this since it is vacation."

"Haha, as always, thinking of others." Madeline says before she chuckles. "Well, let's go get your luggage."

I raise my voice, interrupting her before she can turn around. "Ah, Madeline, about—"

"I'll drive her to her hotel as well, so she doesn't need to pay for a cab."

"Oh, thank you. Though Shino-san—"

"Just Shino here."

"Well, Shino, I have been curious about the place you call home. If it would not be some much of a burden…"

"Oh, I'm always happy to have a new guest over!" Madeline says with a giddy giggle. "Hmhm, yes, I'll bring you over."

I can see Orimura is trying to keep a straight face as we get all of our luggage, then head to Madeline's minivan.

"Ahh, no other dents? Guess you haven't managed to hit the hydrant again, right Ushio?"

"That was one tiiime!" she cries out, lightly shoving me before going into her seat in the middle row.

I laugh as we all pile in after putting the luggage in. Madeline takes the driver seat, I take the passenger, and Orimura sits on the left-hand side of the middle row. She simply stares out the window as we exit the airport.

We're on the highway when Madeline finally decides to break the ice.

"So, you haven't quite said her name yet. I'm sure you heard our names, but um, sorry for being so rude, we were trying to get out of the airport quickly."

"Ah," Orimura says, waving her hand. "It's fine. Well, I suppose I've been a bit rude too, not introducing myself. We were in a bit of a rush, though ah, I did want to save it for later. It might have attracted attention."

"Ohoho, so you know a celebrity, Galen?"

"Of sorts. Though we should be fine now. Go ahead, I'm sure they'd like to know who you are."

With that, Orimura removes her sunglasses and adjusts her hair. "Orimura Chifuyu. Or is that Chifuyu Orimura here?"

A loud _WHREEEEEEE_ of a car horn goes off as Madeline nearly swerves into the lane to our left.

"WHAT THE HELL, GALEN?!" Madeline shouts as she pulls us back into our proper lane.

"Eyes on the road, Madeline." I say with a shrug, casually looking into the side view mirror to avoid any accusatory glances.

"CHIFUYU ORIMURA?!"

"We're… acquaintances and well, I thought she could use a break as well. Also stop shouting, you'll put out my ear."

"That's not the problem at the moment!"

"Oh yeah Orimura, where's the hotel you're staying at?"

"Ah, I'll just call a cab from your home after I take a peek."

"You're just looking for something to hold over my head later, aren't you?"

"The thought hadn't crossed my mind until now." she says in a semi-teasing tone, as is per normal between us at this point.

I look back at Ushio, who's just staring at Orimura in disbelief. She looks at me, then back at her.

"You could give me a little bit of warning! I… I didn't think we'd be hosting _her_! You don't even talk about her, I didn't think you two knew each other!" Madeline says, complaining as she finally calms down driving wise.

"Well that's just heartbreaking." Orimura says in clear mock hurt.

"I thought it would be best to keep the fact we knew each other under wraps, otherwise Madeline would tease me."

"Ha, you might be right."

"Oh my God, I haven't vacuumed in a week, I haven't mowed the lawn, I left the dishes from last night in the sink, I haven't restocked the groceries, I—"

"Madeline, I think it's fine if your house doesn't look perfect."

"But it's—"

"Orimura, do you really care?"

"Not really."

"See?"

"You…" Madeline takes several deep breaths, though I can feel the (slight) irritation in her words. "Really, not even a word of warning?!"

"Surprise."

"I think a vacation to a resort might be nice, now that you can affo—"

"Never mind."

"Good boy."

"Ha… um…" Ushio speaks up. I look in the side view at the right angle (along with the cat-eye mirror) and find Ushio looking at Orimura. She tries to bow as well as she can in the seat. "I-I'm Ushio Bowes! I-it's an honor to meet you!"

"You don't need to bow to me, especially while you're in a car seat." Orimura says, oozing with the charisma that makes the girls at the Academy swoon. "Besides, we're in America. I believe this is the custom."

She extends her right hand, which Ushio takes with two hands and gives a shake.

"So you're the Ushio that Shino's always talking about." I see Orimura turn her head at me and give me a smile. "Ah, I suppose I'll have to break it to my class they need to give up on their _Freshmen Dream_."

"Oh shut your mouth!"

Orimura gives a hearty laugh.

Ushio tilts her head in confusion. "Freshmen dream…?"

"Shino is very popular with the freshmen class. They give him gifts everyday."

"It's a pain in the a—it's a real pain, okay? They're piling up and I don't know what to do about them!"

"Wait, wait. Galen's popular with girls?"

"Oh screw you too, Madeline!"

"After the incident, he saw them day and night. It seems that they're all very thankful that he helped their friends."

"I liked it better when they _didn't_ know who I was." I mumble, shaking my head. "I honestly don't know what to do about it."

"Galen's rather weak to women, you see." Madeline says, finally regaining her usual composure. "He just can't tell them no."

"Oh can it," I grumble. "It's just a fad. I'm sure they'll get over it."

"I don't think so." Orimura says, her tone suddenly becoming serious. "You did a great thing in their eyes, Shino. They're not going to forget it so easily."

"Yeah, well if they want to show their thanks, they can stop flooding my office with chocolates."

"You haven't had a confession yet, have you?"

"Thank God they haven't."

"Give it time." Orimura says with a laugh, restoring the cheery mood.

"U-um!" Ushio half-yells, speaking up. "What'll you do if one does confess to you?"

"I will politely decline citing the difference in age and the fact I'm not looking for a partner."

"Because he has Komine."

"Dammit Orimura—"

"Ohoho, who's _that_ , I wonder~ Why didn't you bring her with you, Galen?"

"Because the office gossip would have become unbearable."

"It doesn't help that she was constantly cooking for you those two weeks you were seeing every student." Orimura says with a knowing look on her face. "Breakfast, lunch, dinner, without fail she'd always cook something and send it to him at his office. Such a committed woman."

"Hey, don't make it sound like that was all her. Some of the others came around and brought food and company as well." I say with (for me) an odd amount of force behind it. "Everyone pitched in."

"That's true I suppose, but you can't deny she was the one spearheading the effort."

"I suppose that is true." I mutter in defeat. "Can we get off this topic, though? I came here to not think about that, right?"

Orimura nods. I suppose I'll have to see someone about this some time. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to go and ring up my mentor, ask her to sit down with me and talk.

The rest of the way we make some small talk, with a hell of a lot more teasing than I hoped for. Soon enough, Madeline pulls into the parking area where I spy a familiar red head waiting at the front door.

"Oh God…" I mutter, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Hey Ushio, whatever she does, don't follow her example, okay? She's very unladylike."

Before Ushio can even ask what that means, I get out of the car and walk up to Alicia. She waves to me and walks forward with that beautiful smile on her face that would charm any other man, except of course I know better

"Hey th—"

I'm interrupted by a swift punch to my stomach that would've made me fall to my knees if Alicia didn't hold me up by the collar. She keeps that smile on her face, looking me dead in the eyes.

"Hiiiiiii, Galen."

"Please have mercy." I ask, knowing that I will get none.

"Can't do~"

"P-p-please stop!" Ushio yells, running up to us and shoving Alicia aside, the latter giving an 'Oof!' followed by a 'God _damn_ that girl is strong'.

"Aw man, I can't bully you if Ushio's going to get in the way." Alicia pouts, childishly stomping her feet. "But…"

I find myself suddenly embraced by her, squeezing me tightly. Eh… something warm on my face? Tears…?

"Are you…"

"Shut up, I'm not crying! You're the one who's crying!"

"We both know that—"

"You shut up, dammit! You might be smart but you don't know everything!"

I gently return the hug, holding her close. "...I know, Alicia."

"You fucking dumbass, not calling us right away…" she mutters, tightening her grasp. "...you have no idea how worried we were. How worried _I_ was, you idiot. Didn't I tell you that if you think you might need help, go get it? But no, you had to be a dumbass again and try to do it all on your own."

"...sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it this time. What if… what if I had lost you…"

I grunt, holding Alicia up as she starts bawling. "You iiiidiot! What would've I done without you theeere?!"

"H-hey, hey, you're making a scene."

"I don't care, just, just! Just promise me you're not going to be stupid again. I don't even care if you will, but promise me!"

I push Alicia a bit away before looking her in the eyes. "Alicia, I promise you—I won't do anything so stupid again."

"Okay. You better keep that promise, idiot."

She gives me a light slap to the face before backing away, wiping her own face of tears. "So, who's your gue—HOLY SHIT!"

"Alicia, language." I say with a sigh, the mood completely shifting.

"Oh my God you—you never mentioned this?! Whoa, are you two like, to—"

"No." we both say together. giving each other a look.

"Oh hell, you gotta be kidding me. Pinch me, I'm dreaming, and I just hit the motherlode of all teasi—AHHF!"

"You said to pinch you." I say, walking past her. "Come on, at least help out with the luggage."

"Whoa what's, she's staying… here?"

"Uh… something the issue?"

"Well, I um…"

Madeline only smiles from the car as she lifts a suitcase. "Alicia is also staying with us while you were here. There's plenty of room, right?"

Oh God, Alicia and Orimura under the same roof. Also screw you Madeline, you know that I'll give up my room, doing this. Uggghh.

"Hey Orimura do you mind if I take your ho—"

"Yes. I better call now and tell them I won't be coming."

"Goddammit."

Alicia immediately begins grilling Orimura (until I yell at her to get her ass moving and wait until we're inside) about me, wondering how much she knows. To escape Hell, I quickly bring Orimura's stuff to my room where I perceive she'll be staying.

"Um, you can stay in my room if you'd like!"

"Oh, thanks Ushio, but it's fine. I'll just take the couch again."

"But you're supposed to be here relaxing…"

"Eh, it's fine." I give her hair a ruffle, prompting an 'uwaaa' from the girl.

"Pleeeeeease?"

Dammit Ushio, when you make that face you know it's hard as hell to resist you.

"I'll give it some thou—"

"GALEN SHINO YOU GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

I sigh, shaking my head and walking down the stairs. I find Alicia pointing an accusatory pointer finger at me. "Alicia, what is it—"

"Hands, now!"

"I swear to God, if you talked about—"

"It was Komine."

"Goddammit Orimura."

"Oh, maybe I should mention that I heard you offered to cook for her and Mazumina as well. Italian, right?"

I give the best 'shut up Orimura' look I can muster as Alicia checks my hands.

"No rings!" She says, stepping away.

"Wuwa—you were going to cook for them?!" Ushio yells from up the stairs. "B-but Italian nights were—"

"Oh look, Galen, you've made Ushio upset. Your cheating heart, tuttut."

"Come on, Madeline… I didn't even do it yet, and secondly, I wasn't going to go all out. Bombolone will always be our thing, and making zuppa inglese is always with Ushio. _That,_ I assure you,will never change. Don't let these two convince you otherwise."

"Mmm…"

"He's very convincing, Madeline." Alicia says as she skips away, back to the couch where Orimura is. "Do you believe him?"

"Hmmm, maybe~"

I sigh, shaking my head. "I need my coffee. A strooooong brewed one."

Madeline laughs as I retreat into the kitchen, presumably to escape all of the women in the room and get myself a good coffee. Ushio follows me into the kitchen.

"Um, Galen…"

"Hm? Oh, Ushio. What's going on?"

"Um, can we cook something? It's been a long time…"

"Oh, yeah. Come on, get your apron. I guess it is almost lunch time, so let's make something good. Huh, what can we make…"

"We have ingredients to make chicken parmesan! I asked mom to get those for when you came back."

"Ah, good, good. Alright, let's get it ready, then."

I try to drown out the conversation of the three older women in the other room to focus on cooking with Ushio. It really feels like old times, bringing us back to those relaxing days.

Ha, if only I could always return to these days…

* * *

 _ **Dysfunction Junction**_

* * *

"Still awake?"

"Oh, Chifuyu." Alicia called out, having come to call the formerly intimidating woman by her first name (at her insistence), waving the TV remote in her hand as she adjusted the brightness again. "Yeah, couldn't get to sleep. I'm too used to staying up until three in the morning. You?"

"I just couldn't fall asleep and wanted a glass of water."

"Mhm. Have a seat, then." She then lowered the brightness to the minimum and muted the volume.

Chifuyu walked over to the other side of the couch and sat down, taking a look at the sprawled out form of Galen's old friend who was dressed incredibly sloppily. A pink shirt that was clearly worn thin and bed shorts that were hanging a little low, with the black blanket only half covering her. Compared to her, Chifuyu's black shirt and black sweat pants looked far neater.

"Ushio's a real cutie, isn't she?"

"I'm just surprised she wasn't swept up into the IS."

"Ehhh, she didn't really buy into it from what I was told. Girl might act a little shy, but she can hold her own when push comes to shove. Guess she's had a lot of practice in getting Galen to do what she wants, haha."

Chifuyu gave a snort in reply.

"Still though, there's still plenty of girls who don't want to become pilots." Alicia then proudly put a fist to her chest. "After all, someone's gotta do the engineering behind all that. And they don't teach you at all about alloys and all the math you need to build a hell of a cannon in that curriculum! Oh, shoot, shouldn't be so loud."

"Not something you can talk about, I'm guessing?"

"The cannons? Ah, hell no, I build cannons in my spare time. Nothing really like, an artillery piece, but enough pressurized air lets you do a lot of things. My job pays pretty good so I can fund my hobby."

Chifuyu raised an eyebrow, wondering how Galen and this beast of a woman next to her became friends. Perhaps it was their differing natures that led to some sort of inevitable attraction; the wild whirlwind desired a calm, and the serenity of peace desired something to challenge it.

"Still though, I have to say I'm surprised. I didn't think Galen would befriend you." Alicia said with a small smile.

"Hm?"

"Based on what I read, I didn't think you two would get along. But I guess I was wrong."

"Ah. Well, I am surprised as well. You've been taking it fairly well."

"Oh, well, I'm not really into celebrity culture. Besides, you've shown yourself to just be another person. Once the initial shock wore off, it just became second nature. I'm not also a big fan of being all proper, so yeah." Alicia shrugged. "It's probably a real pain in the ass, having to hide yourself, so treating you like another person instead of some royalty is the right thing to do, or at least I think so."

At this, Chifuyu couldn't help but start chuckling.

"Hey, what's so funny?!"

Chifuyu gave a small, triumphant grin. "I think I understand why you two are good friends now."

"Ehhhh? Really now?"

"Yes. You two are good compliments for each other. Were you two ever involved?"

Alicia suddenly seemed to shrink, looking away. "Yeah, we were. We split off going into our final years though, work and college, you know. Hehe, maybe I can take another shot now that we're settling down~"

"Well, I won't say anything about that."

"Ooooh? Hehe, you wouldn't be in the running for him, would you?"

"I'm not even going to grace that with a proper response."

"Oh my God that's something Galen would say."

 _Bzzzzt._

"Eh? A text?"

Alicia took her phone and unlocked it, checking the message. "From Galen… 'Quiet down you woke Ushio u—' goddammit, Galen."

Chifuyu laughed from the side as Alicia grumbled, putting her phone down. "Fiiiiine, Galen, go to sleep."

"I suppose I should do the same."

"Hey, Chifuyu."

Chifuyu paused after she stood up from the couch. "What is it?"

"You're not half bad. See you tomorrow, or uh, in the morning. Ugh, it's uh, it's only… two in the morning. Wonderful. Wait, what. Ah, crap!"

At that, Alicia quickly threw the blanket over herself, Chifuyu holding back laughter as went to go get a glass of water before going up the stairs to the guest room she had been given.

 _Quite the interesting group of friends you have, Shino._

* * *

 _ **Dysfunction Junction**_

* * *

"You can cook?!"

"Why the hell is that a surprise?!" Alicia shouts as I come into the kitchen, still in my sleepwear. "Look, buying breakfast gets expensive, okay?!"

"Yeah, guess it also must have been unhealthy, too." I say, seeing that the coffee pot is already has some in it and pouring a cup for myself.

"A-are you implying I've put on weight?!" she yells, angrily shaking a spatula at me, but all intimidation factor is lost due to her wearing a bright pink shirt and black mini-shorts, really exposing her lack of muscle.

"I said nothing of the sort."

"It's a lively morning."

"Good morning, Madeline." I say as she comes waltzing into the kitchen, wearing a light green nightdress. "Good sleep last night?"

"Quite. I didn't know you could cook, Alicia. You've probably improved since the last time you—"

"Okay, okay, we do NOT need to hear about how I failed to make scrambled eggs, okay?!" Alicia announces loudly before turning back to her pan. I look over and see she's making fried eggs. "That was one time!"

"Well, that might have been that one particular incident, but if there were multiple instances of a fa—"

"AAAAAAH GALEN SHUT UP!"

I only laugh as I go to get several plates, putting them on the table while Madeline sets the utensils. After a few minutes Chifuyu comes walking down the stairs. I pass her a cup of coffee which she starts sipping from as Alicia switches to frying the bacon.

"Mhgm…"

"Morning, Ushio." I say, lifting my coffee mug from the table. She waves, stretching as she takes her seat at the table.

"So Galen, any plans for today?" Madeline asks as she pours herself a glass of milk.

"I didn't really have anything concrete. I was considering heading over to the park again. Might stop by campus again, it isn't that long a drive. I don't think Maltese will show up, but I can probably chance it. Besides, I ought to visit some time. What about you?"

"Well, I think we'll just stay home again. Ushio's mostly ready for college, so it's just a matter of time now."

I nod as Alicia puts a plates of fried eggs and bacon on the table as the toaster goes off, revealing four slices of bread.

"I shouldn't be gone all day." I say before taking two of the eggs and some bacon. "Hey Alicia, is Ralph coming around?"

"He won't be here until tomorrow, airline shenanigans regarding his free miles."

"Ah, that's a shame. When he gets here, do you want to do something together? Reunite the three musketeers, the like."

"As long as it isn't that arcade, sure."

"It's not our fault that you're terrible at skeeball."

"We don't talk about that." Alicia grumbles as she dumps herself in her seat with two slices of toast, evenly applying the strawberry jelly on it. "Hey, if you're heading to Princeton today, I want in."

"I was going to offer later, but alright."

"Oh, if you two are heading out…" Madeline's eyes light up. "Oh, Chifuyu, would you like to go to the park? There's one right by the river."

"If you'll have me." she says back with a small nod.

With that, all of us make plans for the day.

Afterwards, we all get ready to head out.

"Still rocking a suit even though it's vacation?" Alicia says with a teasing tone as I come down the stairs, adjusting my red tie. Since it's more casual, I went with tan khakis and a light grey dress shirt.

"I don't think you have a right to talk." I say as I pass by her, nudging her in the rib. "You're still wearing a lab coat."

"Hey, it's my choice to, you know? Besides, it's nostalgic. This is the one I used during the undergrad years, hehe."

With a childish smile, she spins around, her labcoat flaring out as she strikes a pose.

"Well, we're both ready, so we can leave now."

"I'll go start the car~"

"Madeline, Alicia and I are heading out!" I say, calling up the stairs.

"Have a good day, you two!" is the reply back.

"Have fun!" Ushio says as I open the door outside. "I'll take care of the door."

"Thanks, Ushio. Oh, and please don't take everything Chifuyu says at face value. She's fond of teasing me, so sometimes she can exaggerate or omit things…"

She gives me an innocent smile back. "It's okay, ehehe!"

I pat her on the head. "Alright. Have a good one, Ushio."

With that, I walk out and get into the passenger seat of Alicia's car.

"Still can't believe you bought a goddamn tuned super." I mutter, closing the door and buckling up.

"Hehheh, well what can I say? I like the noise of the engine."

With that, she pulls out of the parking lot and starts down the road.

"Soooo?" Alicia says as we pull onto the highway, making the successful merge.

"So?"

"Come on, I can keep a secret. You and Orimura, you're totally a thing."

"I can confirm we are _not_ a thing, Alicia."

She scowls at this.

"Nuh-uh. You are guys are definitely a couple. Come on, you know I can keep a secret!"

"You mean like the secret of what happened in Harrison Street Park?"

"Look, I cracked, okay? Besides, mom was really concerned."

"See, this is why that even if we were a couple, I wouldn't tell you. Besides, that doesn't really suit my style, does it? If we were a couple, I would logically know that bringing her would result in a massive scandal or media coverage of some sort. I'd have played it safer with someone else."

"Oh, so it's another woman, then?"

"Goddammit Alicia, _no_."

"That Komine woman seems to be a good choice, though."

"I can't believe we're having this discussion right now."

"Hmmm, oh, how good is she in bed?"

"Komine is a very wholesome woman, I'll have you know."

"Oh, the waiting until marriage type, I see. Wow, she really is the ideal wife material, huh? Cooks, quiet yet knows how to make a point, loyal to her man, hard to believe you haven't put a ring on her."

"I've known her for only a few months, hardly enough time."

"Haha, I know, I know. I'm just preparing you for Ralph's teasing."

"Oh God, not looking forward to _that_."

Alicia gives a hearty laugh before getting off the highway. We're fairly quiet as we pull into the parking area.

"Meet back at Taplin Auditorium in say, three hours?"

"Sounds good." Alicia says, stretching her arms before double-tapping the lock button on her key, the car giving a loud _BEEP_ in response. "Call me if you finish early."

"Same goes for you."

We walk up the street before I split away, walking into the Peretsman Scully Hall, or as Alicia nicknamed it for me, 'Scully Hully'. Still looks like it did all the time ago.

"Well, that's a face I thought I wouldn't see again."

"What a coincidence, Doctor Maltese." I say, my muscle memory kicking in as I give a small bow to the older woman. She's in an electric wheelchair with that permanent scowl engraved on her face, though behind it lies the fierce mind of a woman who spoke what she thought and didn't give a damn what anyone thought. She's dressed up like was about to give a presentation: white blouse, dark purple skirt that goes all the way down to her ankles.

She adjusts her glasses as I walk forward. "Ha! I saw that bow, looks like you've been in Japan long enough."

"I didn't expect to run into you here." I say, finally crossing the distance between us. The two of us shake hands. Even in her old age, her grip still has some kick to it.

"Madeline sent me an email. I didn't know if you had plans to come here, but I took a gamble."

"You came to see me? That's thoughtful of you."

"It was only natural. You were the latest doctorate I saw through before I retired and I was with you many steps along the way after that. I heard about what happened to IS Academy."

"So you did… Well, I'm actually supposed to be on vacation to get my mind off of it."

"Ho? Really now, that's a surprise. I apologize for making you remember it."

"It's fine. Besides, part of me was hoping to run into you for that reason…"

"The cobbler's children have no shoes, I take it?"

"Yeah." I mutter, looking away from her.

"I haven't been in the professional business for years, Galen. Been doing research the whole time."

"I know, but…"

"You have the company you used to work for as well, yes?"

"I do… I mean, I've already scheduled a visit with me on the other side of the chair, so there's that."

She scoffs, shaking her head. "Yet you come to me anyways, an old woman who's going to kick the bucket any day soon. Hehheh, ha… Galen, let me tell you this."

"Doctor Maltese?"

"I can't give you professional help, but I can at least give you someone who can listen. Someone who can listen and know all the tricks you'd use because I taught them to you."

"That's the most I can ask for."

"Alright, let's have a walk. Talk to me, Galen."

As we walk around the hallowed halls of where I once studied, I tell Maltese everything I think I can tell her without getting too close to revealing something I shouldn't. She digests all of the information, nodding the whole time.

"You've had it quite rough." she says as I finish my tale, the two of us looking out a window. "I'm surprised you've managed to stay."

"I'm rather surprised I didn't go crazy, either."

"You've always been sturdy. Besides, you've had your foundations tested before."

"Rashein…"

"Yes. But you performed well, for a single person. You should likely talk to them about hiring another professional to work under you."

"I suppose."

"You're still wondering if those girls are all going to turn out fine, aren't you?"

"I can't help it. It's… I won't even ever know if I did well, up until—"

"I know. It's all you can hope for, though. Get some professional help, too. That's sure advice, at least. Or at least, that's what I'd tell you if you hadn't already scheduled a visit."

"Mhm. Thanks for the talk, Doctor Maltese."

"Still, it's impressive that you saw to every one of those girls. You really are a bit of a madman. Once again, your scary work ethic shows itself."

I give a scoff to her teasing, Maltese having a laugh.

"But you did good, Galen. Few would have had the guts to pull something like that off, let alone do it willingly. I am sure that they will thankful for you."

"Thank you, Doctor Maltese."

"I only state the truth, Galen. You know I am not one for flattery and empty compliments.."

"I understand."

"Good. I hope your session goes well. I would not want to lose a former student of mine so young. To IS Academy of all places."

"Oh?"

"Oh, Galen, I've heard the rumors hundreds of times over. Especially about you. What they say at conferences, ho, you wouldn't believe it. Regardless, I have heard a lot about the environment and how it's difficult to retain a psychologist there. You've already surpassed expectations for the whole community and there has been a shift in opinion."

"Eh?"

"You know how was it when you started out. Everyone was placing bets on how long you'd last."

She pauses here, laughing, and I find myself chuckling as well.

"But the air has changed. It's gotten out, you know, most likely by one of the girls you saw, what you did. Suddenly those rumors have become ones of concern, wondering if you'll be looking for someone else to help you due to the scale of the problem."

"I see…"

"You've many friends in the community, so don't be afraid to ask for help. I'm sure you'll find it."

"Thanks… hey, Doctor Maltese, were you ever offered the position?"

She laughs heartily at this. "Oh, you have no idea. There was a time they were very adamant in recruiting me, but this was when I was mentoring you for your doctorate. You were such a promising young kid that I couldn't do it, but at the same time I had no intent of touching that place."

"May I ask why?"

"I knew that despite my skills, I was not what they needed. In fact, I think you might be the one kind of worker they needed. There are many people, Galen, who are far more skilled than you, we both know this. But I would have just have been a cynical old woman there who did not like the current social atmosphere and that means that girls might have been hesitant to even open up to me. You share the same opinions as I do about the IS culture, for you and I have done research into its effects on mentality and society as a whole. But where you and I differ is that you aren't me, obviously, and you can get your message across better than I can without the cynicism in your voice. People are naturally drawn to you, Galen, and they open up to you. Who do you think recommended you?"

"You did?"

"Mhm. I had been tracking of the previous psychologists of IS Academy, it's a bit of new pasttime in the community, keeping logs of how they ended up. After they came to me again, I directed them to you. A younger face, someone I knew who would do his absolute best."

"Ah…"

"I partially regret it, however. It was my recommendation that put you through the wringer."

"You don't have to. It would've meant someone else was in my position and might not have done what I did."

"I see. Well, I suppose we'll just have to see how you turn out then, won't we?"

I chuckle, realizing the trick she pulled on me. Alright, if that's how you want to play, Maltese.

"I suppose so. Thanks for the talk, Doctor Maltese."

"You're welcome, Galen. Now, I'm sure you've much other business to attend to. Don't spend your whole vacation talking to an old, bitter woman."

I roll my eyes as I step away.

"You're not just an old, bitter woman, Doctor Maltese. You are _the_ old, bitter woman who mentored the first psychologist of IS Academy to see a full class through."

"Ho, that remains to be seen, so I will hold you to it."

With that marking the end of our conversation, we part ways.

* * *

"You seem happy." Alicia notes as I walk up to her. "Doctor Maltese?"

"Gave me some good food for thought." I say with a nod. "I'm happy she was here."

"Mhm."

"Alicia?"

I try calling out her name as if to dissuade her, but she stays latched on my left arm and entwines her right hand with my left.

"Just… like old times, right?" She asks, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah."

Is this what this is about?

"You don't mind, right?"

"Not in particular…"

"Ehehe, it's just that it's been a while, you know? What with the whole IS Academy scare, too, I…"

"I get it." I say, using my free hand to pat her on the head.

Alicia and I parted on amicable terms, but part of me wondered if she was really happy with it. But I know her, she's too headstrong to just show her real thoughts, a bit like me. I doubt I'd be able to suss out her real opinion on the matter by words. So I'll just have to pay attention to what she does.

"Anywhere you'd like to go?"

"I was thinking we could go to one of the coffee shops again."

"Sounds like a plan." I say, tugging her along, though before long it's Alicia dragging me around. Just like old times. She even gets her usual latte art, showing off a carefree and childish smile as she stares at the elegant rose that was drawn in it.

"Mmmm! Can't get this at the places around work! Oh, I've missed this place so much."

"You don't get out that much, huh?"

"Hah? You of all people, telling _me_ that?"

"Well, you've been learning about all of my new coworkers and you don't mention anyone else. I think I have the upper hand here."

"Ngyh—!"

"Caught you. Always one step ahead, Alicia."

"Eghghhhhhh, I wanna win for once."

I laugh as I reach over with my left hand and pat her on the head. "Then learn to outsmart me, then."

"That's unfair, you know?"

"I mean, someone of your intellect should be able to figure out how to do it, right?"

"Can I just read it in a book?"

"Sometimes, it's a little more amazing that you were the one who motivated me into finishing my PhD."

Alicia laughs as she leans into me. "Yeah, it kinda is. We fed off of each other, though. And Ralph would snap our heads together when we got too close. He was always the grounder, you know?"

"Yeah. I guess we'll have to wait for him to come in, though."

"The Three Musketeers again, eh?"

"Heh, yeah." I blink, realizing that Alicia's taken my hand in hers. "Alicia?"

"I… I want to kind of live those days ago, Galen. Can I be selfish for a day…?"

"...do what you want, Alicia."

"Alright."

After the coffee shop, Alicia drags me around to various places. I recognize all of them. the ice cream shop on Nassau that was our first 'date'. The record store on Tulane, where we had bought our first record as a couple (a Foo Fighters vinyl). A wine shop on Hulfish, where we always hit up on Friday nights so we could drink the weekend away.

And of course…

Prospect Gardens, where we had our first kiss.

Alicia…

"Hey, Galen." she asks, letting go of my hand and walking a little bit away from me, looking off into the sunset. The sun's hanging on its last bit of light and it's almost dark out, too. I can even see the stars now, starting to twinkle.

"Alicia?" I ask, suddenly finding that the humidity of the summer heat is making me sweat. Or maybe it's my nervousness, as I can definitely feel my beating heart.

"I… I…"

She shakes her head before slapping herself.

"I can do this."

"Alicia, you don't have to force yourself—"

"I still like you!"

"Ah…"

I try to laugh.

"Ah, I still like you too, Alicia, you know, like—"

"I—not like that, dumbass!"

She turns around and buries her head in my chest. "You idiot. You know what I mean, but you're still going to try to pretend you don't."

"...sorry."

"I know that it's… it's probably the wrong time to tell you. You've got a hundred things on your mind, right? And I'm sure I don't match up to any of those women you know now, but…"

She looks up at me, tears in her eyes.

"I thought that I have to say this, because I'm so afraid. That I'll never get to talk to you again when you go back. That day, you could've been… you could've been—!"

I hold her close as she starts bawling. Ah, so you told me this just in case. So you wouldn't have any regrets in case I somehow bit the dust.

"I get it, Alicia."

"So… please don't forget about me, okay?"

I lightly slap her on the back of the head.

"Idiot. How could I forget about you? Alicia, I… you know, part of me always wondered if breaking up with you was the right thing to do."

"Same… same here."

"Maybe we were a little hasty, back then. This isn't… me saying we should get back together, Alicia, but…"

The words die in my mouth. I want to tell her that really, she'd be a wonderful woman to be with.

"I get it, Galen. Ehehe, that makes me kind of happy, you know?"

"Though, promise me something."

"What is it, Galen?"

"Promise me that you're not going to get so hung up over me. Go out, meet new guys, alright? I mean, you don't have to hook up with all of them, but you know, if I'm out there making new friends, you do the same, right?"

"Heh, okay. I'll try, Galen."

She closes her eyes and smiles, looking much younger. Like we were back in those carefree college days.

I wonder, how would have things turned out, if I had still been attached to Alicia? Would I have gone to IS Academy? I really do wonder…

...but that's hardly important right now.

Ha… I really feel a lot more at peace, now.

"Eh?"

I'm broken out of my thoughts as I feel a wet sensation on my cheek. Alicia…

"Couldn't resist, sorry~"

I roll my eyes as I give her a light push, Alicia spinning away and laughing. She quickly comes back though and takes my hand.

"Ready to go back, Galen?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Alright! Leeeet's walk to the car."

Ha… really though, I'm glad I came home for a bit. I still got a fair bit of vacation left, so I should spend as much of it messing around like the old days. Definitely feels like there's been a weight lifted, though.

...something about seeing Alicia happy again and being reminded of the house that built me, yeah. Well then, I have to make them proud, when I return.

But still… ha, not looking forward to all the teasing later. Though… that's a problem I'd rather have than anything else.

* * *

 **So, this was a return to normal days for Galen. I wanted to use this as a sort of easy-going time, plus to introduce the people from Galen's side other than Madeline and Ushio, exposing his past with Alicia (which was alluded to before). I think she might have come off a bit like a tsundere but not really, it's more that she can't admit her feelings for Galen as much as she just doesn't know what to say to him, but the fear of losing him catapulted her to tell him. I wanted to make her a rather boisterous character, not taking shit and doing as she pleases for fun.**

 **Granted, I didn't want to turn this into a harem style or anything, but I think since Komine gets brought up enough some teasing with Galen about her would come up. The "date" that Galen and Alicia have is less about romance as much as it is Alicia just wanting to have something with Galen since she feared for his death and all. The girls gifting Galen tons of stuff was something I just thought was an amusing joke and also an added source of stress for him, since after he gave his all for them, I thought it was logical he'd become a bit of a local hero to them.**

 **Chifuyu coming along was for humor, I considered writing in Komine but then decided against it, thinking Chifuyu would be more amusing to write. I don't want to drag it on for super long, so I think my plans only have one more chapter of "Back Home" before it's back to the IS Academy cast.**

 **Anyways, wew, man it took so much longer than I wanted for this to get out. Let me know what you guys think. It's been a while, so yeah, let me know if I've lost my touch and need to get back into things. Maybe I'll end up writing a one-shot or an omake or something to get back into the grove of things.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello college sucks and will kill all your free time.**

 **Thanks exams.**

 **Anyways, this took** _ **way**_ **longer to get out than I wanted. I had finished the writing a long time ago but just couldn't bring myself to actually friggin' edit and read over it again because I was so exhausted from school I've actually had this doc ready to upload for like two weeks now but lolnope'd out of effort.**

 **I have also been burned out because helping to write a VN-mod-thing and honestly writing became NOT fun for a long time. But I'm back!**

 **Anyways, as always, review reply time, GOOOO!**

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov:** Whoops, sorry for the long upload time. Truth be told I was going to push this in Janurary but then things just caught up with me and I ended up lazying out. Ugh. Also I think it was okay for Chifuyu to open up to him a little more because of what he did, and it's also because Galen is a workaholic, haha. Anyways, I'm glad you liked Alicia, I'm not used to really writing a character like her. Anyways, thanks for reading!

 **ItzABlueWulf:** Thanks! Yeah, this is kind of my "guilty pleasure" story, in that I don't really have to focus on fights or anything like that, just a normal every day person. Truth be told I've been writing a few more of these for other stories, wherein the POV character is not necessary the hero, haha. I did aim to supplant the action with character interactions though, so I'm glad I'm having success for at least one person. Thanks for reading!

 **Qin W.X:** Haha, neat! I was actually kind of surprised no one had actually written this before, it seems like such a basic concept that someone would have already poached it from me. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Anyways, that should take care of all the reviews! Here we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9:** More Friends

* * *

"Heeeey-a!" A voice yells as the man behind it pays the driver of his cab, getting his belongings out of the trunk.

"Come over here, Ralph!"

The slightly overweight man with a bit of visible beer belly in front of us, dressed in jeans and an Old Navy polo, topped off with some definitely-not-combed blonde hair, puts down his duffel bag and runs forward, meeting me halfway. Our right hands slap together before transitioning into a forearm grip. We then pull each other closer and chest bump, then on the rebound we turn a hundred eighty degrees before hi-fiving with our left hands, managing to find our mark without even having to look. Right after the hi-five we grab each other's hands and while stepping back, passing each other by where we use our right hands to tip an imaginary hat at each other, completing our secret handshake.

In the meantime, the cab's already driven off, so I help Ralph with his suitcase towards the house.

"I thought you had a hotel."

"Yeah but like, gifts and shit, man." he says with a shrug.

"You two _still_ do that every time."

"Can't help it." We both say together before laughing.

"Oh, right, Alicia, mind driving me to the hotel later?"

"You just want a ride in my super, don't you?" Alicia asks before opening her arms. "Come here, big guy. O-ogh, okay, geez…"

Ralph laughs as he lets go of her after putting her down. "Sorry, been working out lately. Dropped ten pounds in the last ten months, too."

"Oh, finally working off those hot chocolates cups?" I say from the side for the snipe, Alicia then giving me a childish hi-five as if to say 'you got it!'.

"Hey, I ain't dead dropping dead of cardiac arrest at forty, so I think I'm good. Anyways Alicia I'll get everyone's stuff inside. Besides, gotta talk to Madeline first, right? Say hello."

The door to the house opens, with Ushio running out.

"Ralph!"

"Ooph, ah, geez, nice tackle there, Ushio." Ralph says with a laugh, using his right hand to pat Ushio on the head. "Hey, afternoon, Madeline, how's it going?"

"As good as usual. How have you been?"

"Well, other than the hell that is connecting flights that get delayed all the time, all right."

"I told you to buy direct." I mutter.

"Heeeey, I saved three hundred bucks, Galen." He pauses, a smile on his face. "Aaaand all the food I bought during my time at the airport was four hundred!"

"Boooooo." Alicia and I say, rolling our eyes at his obvious attempt at a joke.

"Inside, inside, come on. Oh don't worry Ushio, I got you a gift as well."

"Ehehe~"

Even though Ushio's a good kid, Ralph tends to spoil her quite a bit. While she doesn't take advantage of it, she does seem to enjoy the attention.

"Jealous~?" Alicia whispers, nudging me as we follow them into the house.

"Oh shut your mouth." I mutter back, earning a laugh from her.

We close the door behind us and Ralph puts his duffel bag down on the couch and opens it up.

"For Ushio, bought you some new wireless headphones, noise cancelling as well." he said, taking it out of the box and handing it to her. "Aaaand also two tickets to the _Harvester_ concert this weekend. Consider it my apology for not being able to make it to your graduation."

Ushio's eyes sparkle as she runs over to hug Ralph again, gingerly taking the items.

"For Madeline, I got you the classic."

"Oh Ralph, you didn't have to." Madeline says, surprised as Ralph takes out a white box with golden ribbons around it. "You know these perfume sets are expensive."

"Well, I got a raise. Besides, my rent's cheap and I'm coming to visit again. Alicia, I got you three bottles of your favorite wine, and Galen, here."

I raise an eyebrow as he tosses me a—

"Haha, _very_ funny." I say dryly, looking at the box of condoms he tossed me.

"Ribbed, too. Nah, here's your actual gift."

I pause, catching the small object. A flash drive…?

"Don't play it now, but if you get down in the dumps again or work gets real damn difficult, make sure you check out what's on it, hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you." I say, putting both the box and flash drive on the table.

"Another friend of yours?"

Oh boy, here comes the bombshell.

"Hey Galen, I didn't kno… _oh_."

There's a long pause in the air as Chifuyu comes down the stairs, likely wondering what all the commotion was. Ralph looks at me, looks at Chifuyu, then back at me before turning his head slightly towards Madeline.

"Hey, do we—"

"Galen bought two of them last night." Madeline says before Ralph nods, retreating into the kitchen. I can hear the fridge door open, some bottles being moved around, and the door closing before Ralph returns, carrying a full two-liter of Dr. Pepper. He walks towards the front door, gesturing for me to come outside. I glance at Chifuyu who gives me a shrug.

I decide to follow him, where we walk about ten or so seconds away before he opens up the two-liter and starts chugging from it.

"So, I guess I'm going to have to explain myself now, right?"

Ralph doesn't stop drinking, but he does give me a thumbs up.

"Fine. I brought her here since it looked like she could use a break as well. The Academy sent someone with me to make sure I wasn't going back to work and actually relaxing during my time here. Besides, it was better than bringing anyone else. Office gossip's a pain."

He does chugging, having finished about a quarter or so of the bottle.

"And you think bringing _her_ was not going to stop it?"

"It was a matter of bringing a total stranger versus bringing someone I knew. She was the least likely to spike the office gossip."

"Uh-huh." He looks over me before coming over to me. I take a step back, my personal space clearly violated. However, he reaches over and pulls my collar aside. "Alright, no hickeys, I guess you two aren't sleeping with each other."

"What."

"Hey, I still remember that your neck was particularly sensitive, or at least to Alicia's tee—"

"Please do not talk about my former escapades in public."

"Just saying. I still remember how you lied about getting bitten and it getting pretty bad when your parents visited to explain the sheer amount of bandages you used to cover it."

"Oh shut up." I mutter, rubbing the temples of my forehead. "Alright, but we're cool, right?"

"Sort of."

He then lightly taps me with the (still open) bottle.

"Come on man, you should've told me! I would've dressed nicer! Like, khakis and a polo, at the least!"

"She's not really a fan of people dressing up and treating her like royalty."

"That so? But still, could've made a better first impression. Ahhh well, whatever. Still though, don't drop that shit on me, man! I could've at least prepared!"

"That would've meant you were the only one who wasn't surprised."

"Oh my God, really? You didn't tell _anyone_?!"

"I thought it would be funnier. Except for when Madeline almost drove us off the road after she showed herself."

"Well no shit, man! Anyways, let's go back inside."

"Yeah, yeah."

We walk back inside, where Ralph puts his soda on the dining table and screws the cap back on before going over to Chifuyu.

"Hey, uh, better introduce myself. Ralph Johnson, one of Galen's friends." Ralph says with a friendly smile on his face, putting a hand out.

"Chifuyu Orimura. I believe you already know who I am." Chifuyu says, taking it and giving it a firm shake before letting go.

"Well, you'd have to be living under a rock not to know." Ralph says with a shrug before putting his hands in his pockets. "So Galen, got anything planned for today?"

"Maybe the arcade?" I put out there. "Just the three of us, just like old times."

"Heh. I'll kick your ass in that shooter. I still got it, you know?" Ralph says, making a finger gun and pulling the trigger at me.

"As long as we get to play skeeball."

"Hell no!" Alicia yells, causing Ralph and I to start laughing and a look of confusion and curiosity on Chifuyu's face. "You guys are assholes, you know?!"

"Oh come on, you won't be able to improve if you don't—"

"I don't need to improve at skeeball!"

"Yeah Ralph, she can just be good at foosball."

"But didn't Steph always beat her at that back in college?"

"Ah, geez! Whatever, fine, let's just go!" Alicia yells, starting to walk out the door. "Shoes on, boys, or I'm making you all catch a cab!"

"Hey Madeline, we're heading out, I guess." I say, putting on my shoes.

"Don't stay out too long." Madeline replies, clearly trying to sound like an overprotective mother. "And don't spend too much in one place."

I casually wave a hand as I leave through the front door, Ralph in tow, Alicia already at her car. We get in Alicia's super, with Ralph taking the passenger seat, where my two friends glance at each other and nod.

"...Suddenly I feel kind of i—"

"Nope, you're perfectly healthy." Alicia says, locking the doors and starting the car, pulling out almost immediately. Oh, goddammit.

I decide to sit back and relax, knowing my friends are going to be grilling me about this. As soon as we get out of the neighborhood, the analysis begins.

"No hickeys." Ralph reports.

"Maybe she's just not the biting the neck kind. You check the ears?"

"Damn, no."

"Can you two stop assuming I'm sleeping with her?"

"No." They both respond together. I give a snort in reply. Geez, and to think the other day Alicia was worried I was dating Orimura, now we're here. Probably has to deal with Ralph having a dirty mind.

"Well, they're pretty quiet if they are doing it here."

"Damn, really?"

"Oh my God, just stop. I didn't bring Orimura here for booty call, geez."

I know it's all in good fun, but still. Geez…

The rest of the trip is so explicit that it might as well be in a rated M game.

"You all need to get a hobby." I mutter, opening the door and getting out of the car. "Besides, those are hardly my tastes, anyways."

"Oh trust me, I'd know your tastes." Alicia says with a bit of purr in her voice. "Ahaha, you're blushing so hard!"

"Shut up." I grumble, closing the door as the others get out of the car.

Ralph laughs at he closes the door behind him. "Alright man, let's go."

We end up roaming around and settling on a shooter game, with me getting my ass kicked (as usual) in the said shooter game.

"It's not really fair, you know—" I say, shooting off the screen in order to reload. "—I'm not a gamer. You probably do stuff like this all the time."

"Well—" I give a sigh as Ralph saves me for the ninth time this run, Alicia taking a sip from her soda as her drinking game. "—you're not wrong, you know?"

If one were to take a look at our scores, they'd see that there are far more leading zeros in mine than Ralph's. Ralph's headshot percentage is above ninety percent, which frankly is ridiculous. I guess it's just practice but still, it's insane.

We've also managed to attract a small crowd, seeing as we're apparently looking impressive. Either that, or it's because Ralph is carrying me that hard. We're just casually making conversation as Ralph makes plenty of quick movements, eliminating every wave of enemy in the blink of an eye. I'm pretty much dead weight here.

"Boss time."

"I know, I know."

Ralph's trigger finger goes into a frenzy as the projectiles come flying at us, as like any rail shooter you have to take them out before they hit you unless you want to lose a life.

"Poweru—" I'm cut off my Ralph immediately shooting it and unloading on the screen, clearing it and scoring a few hits on the boss. "Never mind."

The boss goes down under Ralph's rapid and focused fire. And with that, we've beaten the game and decimated the high score.

"You're a monster." Alicia and I say together, Ralph awkwardly putting his gun back into the holder, trying to laugh it off.

"Geez, how much do you practice?" Alicia asks, taking a picture of the scoreboard for the scrapbooks. "That's crazy."

"It's not that bad, is it?"

"Ralph, your headshot percentage was ninety three percent."

"Okay maybe it's a little excessive. And maybe I've been playing those new VR shooters for oh, twenty hours a week."

"Ralph!"

"Hey, I paid for it all and everything, even threw out and stored a bunch of stuff to have a room specifically for—"

"You ass, you didn't _tell me_ so I could test it out?!"

"I think you completely missed the point, Alicia." I say, lightly smacking her on the back of the head. "Ralph, really?"

"Heh, well, not twenty hours a week. I put a hefty amount of time into it and before you get on my about my finances, I saved up for three months for it."

"Alright, alright. That's fine with me then." I say back, looking around for something else. "Anyways, let's see…"

"Skeeball." Ralph immediately says, finishing my sentence.

"Screw you!" Alicia grumbles.

"I think skeeball is fine."

"God, I hate you two." Alicia grumbles as we lightly push her over to the skeeball lanes. "Just so you know, we're going to play soccer sometime so I can drive a striker right into your stomach."

"Aren't you the physics major? This should be way too easy for you." I say, putting in some tokens and getting my twelve balls. I take one and weigh it in my hands for a bit before aiming right for the top right slot, nailing it on the first try.

"Hey look, theoretics and actually doing it are two entirely different things. I wasn't ever really good with my hands, too. I quit piano at what, seven?"

"Oh yeah, I'd know about you being bad with your han—gah!" I grunt in a brief bit of pain as Alicia elbows me in the ribs. Haha, normally I'm more uptight about things, but I can't help but be relaxed when it's just the three of us sometimes.

"God, you are so annoying sometimes."

"Here, here." I say, gesturing Alicia over and having her stand in front of me. "Come on, I'll teach you how. It's not like it's hard."

"This is going to be like when you tried to teach me how to play basketball again." She mutters as she takes one of my balls and curls her hand around it as I put my hand on top of hers.

"I actually never saw that, how'd it go?" Ralph asks, putting in his own tokens in and getting his own set.

"Galen helped me throw a three pointer, it hit the rim, bounced back, and hit him on the head."

"That one hurt, by the way. Anyways Alicia, it's all about feel. You just gotta roll it up with what you think is going to make it go in, then you adjust from there. Besides, it's not like I always throw for the hundred slots."

I then take her hand and move our arm back before throwing it forward, going for the middle of the bullseye, though I bounce off and instead get the sixty pointer.

"I mean, I really don't get how you suck as skeeball."

"Oh shut up!" she half-yells back, elbowing me as I laugh. "Look, it's been a few years, I'm pretty sure I can do it! I'll kick your butt so hard—"

* * *

"It's fine, Alicia."

At the moment, Alicia is sobbing into a pepperoni pizza slice. I don't think I've ever seen skeeball reduce a grown woman to tears before. Half of me knows she's clearly faking, but still.

"Alicia, come on."

Nothing back.

"Alicia, Ralph is going to drive your car if you're going to be a sobbing me—"

She slams both of her hands on the table, giving the two of us a glare that would likely have intimidated a group of hardened thugs.

"No one. Touches. My baby."

Both Ralph and I immediately put our hands in the surrender position even if we're a hundred percent innocent, placating Alicia who gives a wide smile.

"Ahem, anyways, I'm glad to know that we can now wholeheartedly agree to never play skeeball ever again."

"But if you don't play more, you can't improve." Ralph says before munching on his own slice of pizza.

"Alright, so Ralph is walking home. You got anything to say, Galen?"

"I for one, believe that we will be able to more efficiently allocate our time at the arcade as we have eliminated playing one game for good."

"Okay, so Galen's in my car."

"Kiss-ass." Ralph grumbles, even though we know Alicia's joking.

"Sometimes it pays to know when to keep your head low." I say with a shrug before reaching over and grabbing my drink. "Alright, anything else we want to do, since we've pretty much hit the entire arcade?"

Alicia gets up from her seat, the _clik-clak_ of her chair being rather loud as she reaches into the pockets of her labcoat and pulls out a bundle of tickets, all of them in various states of wear and tear.

"Seriously?" Ralph asks after giving a deep whistle. "Man, I didn't think you kept those."

"Hehheh, of course I did! Anyways, I'll be right back."

"What are you even going to exchange for all those, anyways?" I ask, getting up from my chair.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to empty out all the candy them have in there."

I didn't think she was serious, but the fact we then end up helping Alicia load in what is at least a dozen full plastic bags like the ones you get in groceries stores worth of candy into her car says otherwise. She even took pictures of the empty containers in the exchange.

"What the hell are you even going to do with all this candy, anyways?"

"I'm volunteering with some kids on the side, so I figured I'd drop a load of candy on them. It'll be good to see them smile. That and I'm keeping probably half of this."

"You know wouldn't it be cheaper to buy all this candy, compared to spending all the tickets?" Ralph asks as he opens closes the door.

"It would, but the look on the clerk's face was priceless."

"Touche. I feel kind of bad for him, though."

"Hehehe. Anyways, what's next?"

We end up hitting up all the old stops, like we were trying to relive our college years. We also stop by the old wine shop and pick a few things up before heading back to the house.

As we step inside, Ushio comes running forward, dressed in house clothes and wearing a bring yellow apron over them.

"Welcome back~!"

"You seem cheery, Ushio." I say as we take our shoes off, with Alicia following behind me, lugging one of her bags of candy.

"I'm cooking dinner." she says, flashing another smile.

"Oh, is Galen home?"

"Yeah, Madeline, we did a bit of shopping as well."

"By the way Ushio, we got some candy for you." Alicia says, showing off her bag, Ushio's eyes sparkling.

"Oh, thanks so much, Alicia!"

"Hehheh, don't thank me." she says after putting it down and giving herself a puff of the chest. "Hey Ralph, come on, taking forever here!"

"Hey, you got a _lot_ of wine, help me out here!"

"Fiiiine!"

I laugh, starting to walk towards the kitchen. "Hey, where's Chifuyu?"

"Right here."

I blink a few times, realizing that's Chifuyu in casual clothing, chopping some yellow onions that are next to some already sliced beefsteak tomatoes. Or more specifically, _my_ clothing.

"Galen, it's not polite to stare." Madeline says before I cough, regaining my composure.

"Sorry, I was just surprised that it was my shirt."

"Oh, well, I didn't want her clothes to smell, so I took the liberty of getting some of yours."

"Ah, okay. Anyways, I'm back, I can help with dinner. What are we making?"

"Hehehe, just in time. We thought to make a few recipes you left with us, but if you'd like to help that should be good."

I take look around the kitchen, trying to identify what we're making based on the recipes. I see some stock, so definitely some soup, and that is some angel hair pasta as well. Hm.

"Alright, just let me change into something more appropriate for cooking, then I'll be right in."

It doesn't take even ten minutes before I'm back in the kitchen, my knife zooming across the way way, mincing the garlic like _that._ Behind me, Chifuyu is helping season some of the meats with Madeline's help, looking oddly flushed about it. From what I gathered, she is a bit out of her element here, not being used to cooking. Meanwhile, Ushio and I are powering through measurements and chopping up ingredients.

"Alright, that's all the preparation done." I say as all the prepared ingredients sit in various bowls. "The steak should be pretty easy to handle, so Ushio, let's get the soup cooking first."

"Mhm!"

The tuscan tortellini soup isn't hard to make, since it's pretty basic. Heat oil, cook onions, throw in the meat, add in the broth, let cook, and then add everything at the end. Ushio is pretty accustomed to it and once the soup is just simmering, goes off to talk with my friends.

The chicken piccata doesn't take long enough, though stirring the pasta and getting a nice even coating is always fairly tedious.

There's just one last thing…

"Hey Chifuyu, want to try your hand at it? This one's fairly easy."

"You say that, but based on your movements and your apparent skill, I wonder if that's really the case."

"Oh come on, anyone can fry something on a pan for five minutes. Come on, get over here." I say, gesturing with my prongs. With a bit of a huff, she moves over, where I hand her the prongs. "It's easy, just grab the meat one at a time and put it on the pan. Then, watch the clock, flip them over in five minutes."

"Right…"

"Cooking's actually really easy, though." I say as Chifuyu slowly moves the steak chunks. "Even getting started with the basics. Oil, seasoning like onions and garlic, meat, done. Scrambled eggs aren't hard either. Heh, it's not like you survived on instant ramen all the time, right?"

"...yes, of course."

I can't help but stifle a chuckle.

"Aren't you supposed to keep moving these?"

"You can, but for now they're just cooking, so just let them sit. You only have to move them every now and then to prevent burning."

"I see…"

"What, you want me to come to your room and teach you how to cook?" I say, leaning back on the fridge and laughing.

"That would interfere with your cooking time with Komine, wouldn't it?"

"It's not like I'm cooking with her every night. Besides, it'd be incredibly basic lessons. Your mom never teach you?"

I see a flash of pain and anger flash across her face. It must be completely involuntary, as she quickly cools off.

"My mother… was not a very big part of my life."

Carefully chosen words, meant not to give anything away. The tone is also asking me not to ask anything further.

"Ah. Well, come around anytime, then. I tend to work long hours but I'd be willing to make some time on the weekends. Besides, I have been slacking on my cooking over there."

"Heh."

I roll my eyes as the unsaid comment about Komine constantly shipping food to my room goes unsaid.

"Anyways, flip the steaks over, I'll put the cheese and tomatoes on."

"Right."

As soon as the caprese steak is done, Chifuyu and I move it to a plate and then put it onto the table. At roughly the same time, the oven goes off, where some garlic bread was also baking. Madeline comes along and takes it out, cutting it up and putting it next to the rest of the food.

"Aaaand can't forget the wine!" Alicia says, taking out a few bottles, causing Ralph to roll his eyes. "Oh, sorry Ushio."

"It's fine. Thanks for the sparkling cider, though!"

"Geez Galen, you've been such a bad influence, look how tightly she's hugging the bottle."

"Oh shut up, Alicia." I mutter as I pass out plates to everyone. In the background, as everyone is gathering their meals, I see Ralph giving a small prayer, likely a thanksgiving one, before joining the rest of us. "Try not to get too drunk tonight, though."

"Hey, I'm on vacation, I can get as drunk as I want."

"Ushio, if Alicia starts stripping, restrain her."

"I'll try."

"Galen!"

"He's not _wrong_ though." Ralph says, scooping up some of the pasta and putting it onto his plate.

"Oh screw you too, Ralph!"

"Hahaha!"

"Hm, I wonder what's on TV." Madeline says, heading over to the living room and flipping through the channels as I start scooping some of the soup into some bowls.

"Here, Ushio."

"Thank you, Galen." she says, gentling taking it into her hands.

"Got one for you too, Chifuyu."

"Ah, thank you." With a small nod, she accept her bowl before going into the living room.

"Alicia, think fast."

"Hey, don't toss that!" She yells as I give a small grin, passing the bowl to her.

"Here's yours, Ralph."

"Thanks, man." He says, taking his bowl and then bumping a fist with me.

"Aaaand last but not least, Madeline."

"Such a dear, Galen." she says, returning and taking her bowl. "Don't forget to leave some for yourself."

"I will, I will. Alicia, put your food down and help pour some drinks, will you?"

"Got iiiit! Ralph, Madeline, Chifuyu, what'chu want?"

"Ah, just a water for me." Chifuyu calls from the living room.

"Give me some white wine." Madeline replies.

"Seconded on that." Ralph adds on.

"Galen?"

"I think I'll just have a Coke for now, save the wine for later."

"'kaaay, catch!"

I turn around and catch the the thrown Coke can.

"Whoa, risky, okay. Nearly dropped my plate, but thanks."

"Hehe, good catch."

"Geez…"

I can't help but smile, anyways, as I take my things into the living room. Looks like it's another crime-solving show marathon.

"Alright, we all know the rules, Galen's not allowed to make guesses on who the culprit is." Ralph says as I put my things down on the table.

"Yeah, yeah." I mutter, waving him off.

"Why's that?" Chifuyu asks as I start eating.

"It's because Galen is a monster of logic." Alicia says, coming back and giving everyone their drinks.

"You are aware that in standing with modern medical ethics, I can't diagnose people that I haven't met."

"Yes, yes, but that doesn't mean you don't analyze all of their motives nearly instantly."

"Well, it's my job to figure out what people are thinking."

"And that's why Galen's not allowed to guess who the killer is."

"Fine, fine." I say with a wave of my hand. "Yeah, I know the rules, anyways."

We end up eating most of the food as we marathon the crime-drama. Ushio dozes off at around ten o'clock. Madeline takes her up to her room, saying she's going to bed, but to enjoy ourselves.

At about eleven o'clock, Alicia decides to lie down on the couch being in a sloppy mess of clothing.

"Geez, you have absolutely zero defense." I mutter, putting a blanket over Alicia to help protect her modesty.

"Eheeeeeehehehe~" she giggles in a drunken slur, opening her arms wide. "Gaaaaah-leeeeeehnnnn, cahhhmaaaa hiiiiiiii-rah!"

"You're drunk, so no thanks." I reply, hearing Chifuyu chortle in the background. I look behind me as I hear a soft _thud_ , finding Ralph is on the other end of the couch, probably sleeping.

"You said you were going to drink wine later, but you didn't take a sip." Chifuyu notes as I try to put Alicia to sleep.

"Well, someone has to be the designated sober man and it's easier to slip by on the excuse of 'I'll drink later'." I say, pushing Alicia's arms back down so she can't wrap me in the blanket. "Alicia, stop, come on, go to bed."

"Naaaahyat wiiiiiiidooout yaaah! Heeeheheee, lemmmmme, leeeemme biiite yoooou riiight hee—"

"Oi, oi, no, stop, no."

God, at least not in front of Orimura.

"Bite you…?"

"Alicia, stop, come on."

"Baaaht y'chu usshed to wruuuv iht wheeeen I—" I can feel my face heat up when I hear Orimura snickering in the background. "Isht zhat you waaahnt Chiiiiifooooooyuuuuu dzhu do it?!"

"Alicia, shut up, shut up!"

"Sorry Galen, but I don't think I'm nearly drunk enough."

"Shut up, Orimura!"

"I didn't know you were a biting man, though."

"Shut uuuup, Orimura!" I say, covering Alicia's head with the blanket. "Ugh, Alicia, stop!"

It's about fifteen minutes before I finally hear Alicia pass out and go to sleep on the couch. I plop down on another seat, snap open a can of Coke, and down half of it before putting the can down on the table.

"Well, that was interesting."

"Oh, can it." I grumble, leaning back and sighing. "Ugh, dammit, Alicia…"

"It seems you had a lot of adventures."

"You could call it that. I wasn't always the way I am now. Really cleaned myself up after freshmen year, especially after I started dating Alicia. Wanted to be someone her parents would approve of."

"Well, it's certainly been a success."

"Is that a compliment?" I say with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a simple admission of fact. You are certainly a person many people would approve of."

I take a look at her glass. "Are you sure you haven't been drinking?"

"I'm rather hurt that you think so low of me to think I'd need to be tipsy to say something nice."

"Well, it's just that you tend not to say such things." I say, waving my hand as if to dismiss any concern. "My apologies for any offense."

"Hmph, I'll forgive you this once."

An odd silence sets in for a bit before Chifuyu breaks it.

"You have some nice friends."

"Yeah, I am pretty blessed to know them." I say, unable to stop a smile from coming onto my face. "They've always helped me whenever it got tough."

"You had some trouble with your dissertation, from what I remember."

"I was losing motivation, really. They were there to help set me straight. Alicia might be childish sometimes, but when she really wants something, she can really do amazing things. Well, I guess that's true of all of them."

"Are all of you doctors?"

"No, Ralph's the only one with just a bachelor's degree. Did his normal four years, went to work immediately. Last I heard though, he's eligible to go back for a Master's and have his company pay for it."

"I see."

"What about you, though? No old friends to talk about? You've got to have someone."

Chifuyu is silent for a bit before sighing.

"Not really. Outside of the Shinononos, our family was… rather isolated."

Her entire tone sounds like she doesn't want to talk about it. Since she's not a formal client of mine, I decide to leave it be.

"Anyways, about those bitings…"

"Oh God, why…"

* * *

The rest of my two week vacation blows away. I do go to a therapy session and get things off my chest, but I'm not prescribed anything. Felt kind of weird to be on the other side of the chair, though.

Of course, it was eventually time to go.

"Take care, okay?" Madeline says, hugging me before pulling away and Ushio giving me a second hug. "And make sure to call back."

"I will, I will." I say, starting to feel the hurt from how tight Ushio's hug is. "Hey, Ushio…"

"You'll call if anything happens, right?"

"Yeah, I will. Don't worry about it. I won't pull something stupid again."

Ushio sticks her tongue out at me before pulling away. I turn towards Ralph and Alicia, the former of putting me in a light headlock.

"Don't be a moron, okay?" He says, rubbing his fist on the top of my head.

"Geez, how many times do I gotta say it?"

"Well, you screwed up big time, so you've got a lot to make up for."

"Heh. I suppose so, huh?"

Ralph lets me out, stepping aside.

"Alicia…"

"Galen, I…"

The memories of what we did on my first day here flash through my head.

"...don't forget about me."

"I won't."

"See you, then."

"...yeah. See you."

Neither of us is incredibly sure what to do from here. I'm going to be going away again. We both knew this was going to happen. It would've been nice to have that friendly distance that we had before, but now…

...now we can't even have that.

"Galen, we need to get going, or we'll miss our flight. Still have to make it through security and all."

"Right. Sorry."

"Galen—!"

I turn to Alicia to say one last goodbye—

—and hear a slight gasp of shock from everyone as she presses her lips against mine, the taste of cherry assaulting my senses. For a solid five seconds, everything just stops. The rest of the airport goes along its normal, busy life, but…

"S… sorry. It was just… in case I never got to see you again." Alicia says, stepping away. "I… see you, Galen."

"Th… thanks. S-see you, Alicia."

Turning away from her, I start walking with Chifuyu in silence towards the security gates, my ticket in hand. It's like leaving home again. I keep wanting to turn back, check if they're there one last time, but… I have to keep walking forward.

"She's a nice woman." Chifuyu says as we make it past security and start on the walkway down towards the gates.

"Yeah." I say back, looking at the planes being towed around the runway.

I make a silent prayer to myself, saying that I'll definitely come back and visit again. I definitely feel a lot better now, too. Knowing that they're still here, cheering me on. I won't be being burdened completely alone anymore.

But either way, it's back to work…

* * *

 **Wew, there we go!**

 **Truth be told I feel like this is one of my weaker chapters. It might just be that I wanted to get Galen back to IS Academy since it feels** _ **kind**_ **of like filler with him on vacation, but at the same time it might just be that I was burned out when rereading this one. I dunno, hopefully you guys still enjoy it though, haha. Also it feels short probably because yeah, my burnout happened because of this VN writing shenanigans, ugh. I know it's like excuses, but I just wanted you guys to know. But I am feeling a bit back into the swing of things, so hopefully things will improve.**

 **Either way, we got to meet the last of Galen's trio. Ralph technically had some lines before in the first chapter, teasing Galen about how IS Academy was made up mostly of women, which kind of cemented his character. Also, I felt like making Galen more relaxed in his speech and tone was justified here, as he's not at work, he's on vacation and around those he calls friends. He still has a bit of uptightness to him, but it's far more subdued and he's willing to make jokes and tease Alicia more often.**

 **The cooking scene and the dinner was just for some funsies, along with Galen figuring out one more piece to the puzzle regarding the Orimuras. Granted, it's not like he can exactly do much about it, but he still wants to understand due to it being relevant to Ichika, and he's noted before the profile for Ichika has too little in it and he needs to pry more from Ichika.**

 **The airport scene was just for some drama, I'll admit (lol). Last chapter we had Galen admit that he has considered getting together with Alicia, but both of them know this might just be a bit of a spike due to Galen's possible death with the Golem Incident. Alicia even says it explicitly, "just in case" they never get to see each other again because of Galen's line of work. Fuuun times.**

 **Anyways, yeah, the Ralph and Arcade scene felt a little weak to me. Next chapter (which I started writing), I feel like I got my funk back, but oh well. Let me know what you think of this chapter. Seeya guys then!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow geez I really need to speed this along, thanks life in general. Armored Hearts has most of my commentary on why I take so long, but maybe I should go buy a notebook to write in during my new commutes so I can actually you know, like, write more.**

 **Will probably add review replies later, trying to relax on my vacation before work, haha.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10:** Returning Splits

* * *

"...frankly, I don't know if I should be insulted."

I say that to no one in particular as I lean back in my chair, looking over our newest transfer's profile. Seriously? It's so barebones that it looks like someone hastily slapped something together. Did they really think so low of me as to think I'd just let this pass without incident?

I thought countries were supposed to have standards for who they pick to be Representative Pilots. Whoever is doing their psych evals and going through these profiles needs to have their positions reevaluated. How did this is even make it to IS Academy?

Before I can say anything else, I see a pop-up on my screen. Ah, we've gotten the interview schedule set.

I did ask the headmaster if we could get another staff member to assist me. We have about six candidates, so I'll be interviewing them later.

Still though, certainly back in the thick of things. Fortunately, Tsuketa was very good in helping keep the workload backlog small. It's also good that I was gone for two weeks. It seems the craze that was all around me here at IS Academy has died down almost completely, save for a few girls that were bold enough to give me something in the hall.

Anyways, back to the newest transfer. Another male was discovered who could pilot the Infinite Stratos, so work was quickly put into bringing him over here. Charles Dunoa, son of the president of the Dunoa Company, a company that was falling behind in terms of IS part production, as they were still making second generation parts. Their company's standing was not really my problem, but I cannot be slightly suspicious.

It might very well be a PR move. One cannot deny that their company's value suddenly shot up just from having a pilot that was potentially affiliated with them and only them. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Regardless, I'll be treating him the same. I'm not paid to investigate people. My job is to let IS Academy know when there is potential psychological risks in students and to aid them, with some cursory investigation linked in, if only to discover red flags. I'm not some omnidisciplinary doctor. At the very least, I _can_ sign off on him. It's not like there's enough information to say anything damning, but I'll let the headmaster know I want more information.

"And it looks like another quiet day today…"

I already did some screenings for everyone that was involved in the golem incident as well, citing it as "routine procedure" since I had been gone for some time. Seems not a lot has changed, but I was alerted to the fact we have some new security measures for this sort of thing.

My door clicks open and I look up, finding Shinonono stepping inside.

"You wanted to see me again, Shino-hakase?"

"Yes, I did. Please, have a seat. Can I get you some water?"

"This isn't part of the Golem screenings again, right?" She asks as she closes the door behind her before walking over to sit down. "And no thanks."

"Alright. Anyways no, this is not a screening, so don't worry about that." I shuffle through some papers before taking out some forms. "Also, before I continue, please do not let anything I tell you leak out. This is rather sensitive information."

"Understood, Shino-hakase."

"Anyways, no doubt you've heard the rumors that Dunoa Charles is coming to this school. In addition, you have been rooming well with Orimura, or at least no incidents have popped up that I've caught wind of."

"Ah…"

I can see she's putting the pieces together.

"It is my recommendation that Orimura and Dunoa room together, seeing as it will be good for their mental health to perhaps be friends. This is tentative however, as if they seem to not get along, then we will likely separate them."

I push the form forward.

"However, I will leave this decision up to you. If you don't want to give up your room with Orimura, that's fine. I believe you two are good for each other—" I decide to ignore the way that Shinonono is obviously taking that statement, due to the blush on her cheeks. "—so if you want to remain with him, that is also permissible."

"I see… if I choose to leave, then?" She asks, sliding the form closer to her.

"Well, I've made arrangements. You can either choose to room with someone who doesn't have a roommate, but I can also offer you a room alone if you'd like."

"Mhm… you said it's tentative, right?"

"Yes. I'll be talking to Orimura about it if you choose to switch out."

"I see. Well… I'll give it a shot. You said that it will be good for Ichika-san, right?"

"That's my belief, yes. You don't have to sign it today, though. You have a few days to do it."

"No, I'll sign it today. I'll let him know as well, so it won't be a shock. I can let him know that you recommended it, right?"

"Yes, please be very clear when telling him that."

"I will. Can I see which rooms are available?"

I take out the papers and pull out the list of available rooms I requested from the headmaster. Of course, all the rooms _close_ to Orimura are taken and no one's going to give those up, so the closest that Shinonono can get is three floors above him, much to her chagrin.

You have good people looking out for you, Orimura.

It's not very difficult to see that Shinonono has feelings for him, yet she'll put aside her gripes if it means potentially helping him. Granted, I have heard of a few rumors about Houki occasionally getting _physical_ , but Orimura himself hasn't brought anything up to me and their friendship seems genuine. I haven't seen any red flags or any behavior as well that would be telling of something of a regular physical abuse. I've made a few notes about it but for now I'm treating them as isolated incidents and not some sort of regular occurence.

She signs the forms and returns them to me, picking the room closest to Orimura as she can get.

"Is that everything, Shino-hakase?"

"That should be all. I'll call in Orimura to talk about it later, but you should let him know."

"Understood. Thank you, Shino-hakase."

She gets up from her chair and gives me a bow

"Mhm. Anyways, do keep Dunoa a secret."

"Of course. If you'll excuse me."

I'm glad that things have calmed down, though. I also need to talk to Orimura now..

For the most part, no one comes into the office, save for some of my coworkers who stop by to say hi and a few of the girls here that are excited to see me back. Not that I'm quite bothered with the latter of the two, but I do find it a bit strange. Orimura comes in as well and consents to the room change, making the transition smoother than I thought it would be. I did detect a bit of annoyance though when I explained it to him further. Likely he wanted to stay with Shinonono and my meddling has changed that.

The most efficient thing would have been to bring them together, however it was less likely they would agree simultaneously. By splitting them, it moves Shinonono first, with Orimura following her. Forgive me for that, Orimura. However, I am trying to keep everything in mind.

The atmosphere is certainly a little more different as well, as I note through the day. When I walked around the halls, the girls were definitely more organized into groups. From the notes I left myself before, it's likely that it's who they happened to be near during the Golem incident.

But one thing that hasn't quite changed though—

"I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Komine-san, hello." I say with a wave, not looking up from my computer. "Ah, give me a second here, just let me save and close these documents."

—is Komine. While she's reduced the amount of times she comes up is certainly reduced to about once every other day, usually for dinner, she still likes to come into my office and eat. She said it was to make me feel welcome again since I've been gone, though for some reason I kind of doubt this will go away.

But, I am glad for the company.

Still though, it's not helping the rumors. But at the very least, it _is_ Komine. I could have done worse.

I get up from my desk and go over to the small table, where Komine is laying out the plates and bowls full of food.

"You know, you don't have to go so out of your way for me."

"Well, I enjoy talking with you, Galen. Besides..."

"Hm?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Please ignore it, I was just idly thinking out loud. Won't you have a seat?"

"Ah, thank you." I say, sitting down before she hands me some chopsticks.

"Thank you for the meal!" we say together.

It's rather nice, though. I don't necessarily mind eating with her. Besides, Komine is a calming influence in my life compared to some of the others. Sometimes it's nice to have someone who isn't really swept up into the world the IS or medicine, the two places I'm really involved in.

"Everything going well, I take it?"

"Mhm, yes. No problems so far, but it's only been a few days. Looks like nothing's really happened while I was away, which is good."

"That's good to hear. But it seems we're getting another male pilot, right?"

"Yes. I suppose it might be a nice break for Orimura. I hope they can get along."

"Mhm. It would be nice for that boy to have another boy here as a friend."

"It'll be good for his mental health, too. I imagine he must be strained by the fact he has no male companions here that he can, as we used to say back during my college days, 'bro it up' with."

Komine giggles at the use of the term, so I keep talking.

"Anyways, I haven't gotten a chance to talk with everyone in a while. Are there any big events planned that I should be aware of, coming up?"

"Oh, the pair battles are coming up soon. The students get to work in pairs and fight each other in two on two matches."

"I see."

"Hmm, oh, there's also the class trips for the students. During that time the school is pretty much empty, so most of the faculty like to throw a party. Er, except for the ones that aren't here and are accompanying the students, anyways."

"Ah, okay. Well, I'll have to keep that in mind then."

She tilts her head. "Why did you ask?"

"I just wanted to know if there might be a chance for me to easily talk with some of the people I haven't talked with in a while, since I was on vacation. Sometimes it's a bit hard to go out of my way to talk to them, especially when I'm on the clock."

"Oh, you should have mentioned that earlier. I'd be happy to pass the message on, if you'd like to invite them for dinner."

"Ah, you're too kind, but no thanks. I'd rather go ask them myself. Call it preference, or being old-school."

"Well, you know where to find me if you change your mind."

"Thank you, Komine-san."

"Hehehe, anytime."

After we have dinner, Komine takes the dishes and bids me goodnight before leaving. Speaking of dinner, Orimura still hasn't taken me up on my offer to help her cook, which I suppose I might have been too forward about it. Ah, I guess something about Japanese customs might have implied something more, so she's just being tactful. I suppose it would set off the rumor mill as well.

Hm, it is Saturday tomorrow, so I'll have some time after the students get off of classes in the morning. Perhaps I'll go back to the mainland for a bit. The interviews are next week, after all, and I have to get ready for Charles Dunoa's arrival. It might be my last chance for relaxation in a while.

Unfortunately, the weekend does blow by extremely quickly and it's time to interview people over the phone. They were fairly easy, as everyone was fairly qualified for the position. It was more personality questions, seeing if they'd be a good fit for the Academy.

It's already Thursday when we've made our choice, though the headmaster will take care of all of the paperwork, as I also have to prepare for tomorrow's event.

Namely, greeting Charles Dunoa.

I've been going his profile again and again during my free time, yet I really cannot get anything despite its recent additions which were only gotten after much, much pestering. It's well above me to request his father's profile as well, but frankly it's just strange to me that it's so barebones.

What's even stranger is that, after getting the messages relayed along, this is all the government had on Dunoa. I was _also_ told that his mother was not listed for security reasons, which is odd because when I searched for information, as far as I was aware or so I should say international media was aware, Dunoa's father never released any news about marriage to the public. Considering how high profile he was, I suppose this is understandable.

Either way, it's up to me to put the pieces together. I hate snooping and trying to suss out information like this, but I have to in order to make sure Dunoa does not present a threat to the students.

Speaking of threats to the other students, I've been putting off looking at another profile since we are getting _another_ transfer. Laura Bodewig from Germany.

 _This_ one is going to be much more of a…

...yes, ticking time bomb is the word. It seems Bodewig and Ichika have a mutual link: Chifuyu Orimura. What's officially handed to me isn't very clear on it, but judging from her personality notes, I predict a clash in the future. Especially due to the recordings of the interviews with her (thank _God_ whoever was in charge there for doing these interviews thought to record them), it's fairly evident that there will be a heavy amount of friction.

I'm going to have to talk with the Orimuras, as in _both_ , about this later. Likely Chifuyu first, just to get an idea of what's going to happen and what exactly happened in the past.

Heh, I suppose going on vacation has made me a little soft. This should be nothing for me, but it is certainly a pain to deal with. Hopefully, and I say this with much resignation simply due to the 'competence' of the other psychological staff who are apparently vetting these IS pilots in their countries, Bodewig will have had some sort of therapy or at the very least, is not hostile to Orimura based on whatever their past is together. I'm going to pray that's the case, because so far with these new representative pilots, that doesn't seem to be the case. Mainly because I've yet to see a document _stating_ something has changed.

Honestly, it's almost like someone removed therapists and psychologists from the equation when picking how to get stable pilots.

"Your coffee's going to get cold."

I look up, finding Sullivan poking through the door.

"Oh, Sullivan-san, good evening." I say, realizing that her normal length of hair has been shortened, as she doesn't have twintails anymore, and instead is now keeping it at around her shoulders. "I wasn't aware I ordered coffee."

"I made too much by accident. Working late again?"

"You could say that. I see you cut your hair."

"Putting them in twintails was getting annoying."

"Why did you put them into twintails, anyways?" I ask as she comes in, closing the door behind her.

"Brought some coffee for you. Black, right?" She replies, completely ignoring the question.

"It'll do. Why'd you swing around?"

"Was doing my rounds on the lamps outside for maintenance, saw your lights were still on, thought I'd stop by." she says, walking over to my desk and putting one of the paper cups from her cup holder on my desk. "Been a while since we talked, right?"

"Yeah. How have you been doing?"

"Doing all right. Days have been pretty easy, been trying to find some team replacements."

"Oh?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, after the incident a while back, some of them put in their two week's notice. Seems it got too heated for them."

"Understandable, I guess, considering this is IS Academy we're talking about. Normally you don't expect that sort of thing here, and this place does seem like a good target if you have the means."

"Mhm. Makes it a bit rough to find new people, though."

"Yeah, I'm surprised anyone responded to our posting."

"Well, I guess in psychology, it is about helping some people. You'll find plenty of people who will brave danger if only to help others."

"I guess."

"Why did you join the staff, though, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I wanted to step up to the challenge. Mentor recommendation as well. Of course, I like helping people, but I felt confident of my skills that I could do some help here. You?"

"Paid well, electrician work, easy enough after my experience. Good benefits, too."

"Heh, I guess that's true."

"Either way, good to have you back. Seems kind of weird for you to be up this late, though. You seem like the responsible type."

"Something's just bothering me with work, so I can't help but feel like I've missed something, is all. But to be honest, I'm fairly sure I should go to bed, but I just want to exhaust everything, first."

"Ah, makes sense."

I glance over to her seat, where she's got a magazine with her. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, just a, uh, writing magazine. I had a friend interested in writing light novels, so I started reading to see if I could get anything for her."

That seems _slightly_ rehearsed, but I choose not to dig in further.

"Ah, I see. That reminds me, Odama did tell me to check out some of the clubs, I might have to take her up on that offer and reacquaint myself with student life."

"I'm sure they'll be glad to have you around. I hear you're not getting chocolates as much."

"Thank God for that."

Sullivan chuckles before shaking her head. "Anyways, I should probably finish up my rounds. Don't stay up too long."

"Noted. Thanks for your concern."

She raises her coffee as a parting wave, closing the door behind her. I really do wonder what the twintails was all about. She struck me more as a professional type. Maybe I should look into that web novel she mentioned before. It was a chunnibyou thing, so maybe she was just being a fan for a bit.

Either way, I still have to try to dig up something from this whole Dunoa mess of a file.

About an hour later, I decide that it's enough and I go to bed. Not like I'll find anything at this rate.

* * *

"Good morning, Dunoa." I say as the blonde Frenchman comes in, gingerly closing the door behind him. Slightly tensed up, looks somewhat stressed. "My apologies for calling you right after you came here, it's been my protocol recently. Please relax."

He seems tensed up. I can see suspicion and reservation in his eyes. Not like a cornered animal, but close. It seems like he views me like an enemy. It's not quite hostility, but… it could be.

"Yes, of course, Shino-hakase." He says with a disarming smile.

I raise an eyebrow. "Hm? I'm surprised you know that I'm called that."

"I was told about it on my way here."

"Ah, ah, I see. Well, please have a seat."

He takes a seat in front of me, across the desk, and folds his hands in his lap, back straight, as if he was an ambassador or something of the sort.

"Anyways, let me just walk you through some things."

I talk to Dunoa about my hours, about the new counselor-therapist that will be coming in, and how else I can be contacted should anything arise. He does ask why _I'm_ doing this rather than the briefing he received on IS Academy, so I tell him that this is just how I do things for transfers, as I prefer to have a more personal meeting.

I hoped that it would get him to trust me, but he doesn't seem to even budge. He has far too much of a guard up, moreso than both of the Orimuras.

"And I believe that's everything. If you experience any problems at the Academy or just need someone to talk to, my office is always open."

"Understood, sir." He says, back straightening up much more than before instantly.

"Don't sir me, Dunoa-kun. I'm not a superior officer or anything like that." I say, waving him off.

"Right… if you'll excuse me, Shino-hakase."

I wait for him to leave the room before furrowing my eyebrows. Cheh, he really doesn't like me. His responses the entire time were guarded, suspicious of me, like he had something to hide. I understand that people like to hide their less savory aspects of their life, but Dunoa was… _excessively_ so.

I would understand this if, of course, _the profile I was given_ had anything to hint at it. I essentially have to build it all from scratch, which should _not_ be my job.

So many of his actions felt rehearsed as well. Perhaps it has to deal with his upbringing as the son of a corporate head, but once again, _this sort of thing_ would be answered by a proper profile. The real question then is, _why don't I have one_?

Ha…

Whatever. I'll just have to work with what I have, it's not like anyone has gotten back to me about it.

Something was bothering me the whole time, though. I don't mean to belittle him, but… many things about Dunoa seemed forced. Not just him being guarded, but so much of it was again, rehearsed. I detected lots of movements and body language that spoke to a more female patient, but would quickly be reversed to more masculine actions.

See, _if_ I had a more complete portfolio, this wouldn't be an issue. Something that explained I don't know, perhaps he had an older sister figure when he was far younger that he tried to emulate but eventually is growing out of those mannerisms. Maybe that he grew up with only his mother in his life, or that he didn't have a lot of male companionship. Things like that. And judging from the news, it seems he and his father weren't close, but that _wasn't_ even noted on the profile. I've had to try to gauge their relationship with some probing questions. This is exactly what would go _on_ his psychological profile and report!

But of course, I don't have one. I also don't want to speculate too much, either. Even if he was, say, an actual girl trying to pass for a guy, I can't actually definitely say that. The most I can do is note things down.

I make a few notes on the paper about Dunoa's guardedness and more feminine patterns, particularly for our new hire. I'll be seeing her very soon, since we didn't want to drop her into the middle of things. Sort of ease her in, bring her after Dunoa got here.

I still don't like this situation, though. I feel like I'm really being left in the dark, here. And it's making my job a lot harder to do. The more information I'm allowed to have, the better I can do my job—it means less nasty surprises for when I prescribe treatment or when I'm trying to help a student through something. I guess it means I'll have to rely on what I pick up from the other students.

The day begins to pick up after that. Apparently Dunoa is a quick hit among the students, likely because of new stimuli. Orimura is still something to fancy for them, but I suppose with all the eyes on him, it likely presents less competition for the other. And he's new as well. The infatuation will likely wear off in a few days and the girls will make their decision on who they like more.

To my pleasure, Orimura and Dunoa seem to have become fast friends, as by the end of the day I can already hear the giggles of girls playing out their fantasies of the two in… that kind of relationship. I also caught them in the halls, looking rather friendly with each other as well. It's good to know that the two of them will have someone to confide in, should they not be able to tell the girls about anything.

I continue on my normal routine, talking to students as they arrive along with handling paperwork. Most of it is really simple, anyways. Just some documentation for our newest hire about how I've handled things here along with who to get in contact with should they need something.

The first day of Dunoa flies by without much incident. It seems there shouldn't be any issues with them rooming together. I suppose Shinonono might be upset by that, but I also suppose that she might be happy that there's a fellow guy for Orimura now.

Next day arrives and so does our new hire, who I recognize from the pictures, standing outside my office as I get there in the morning.

"Hm, someone's actually here before me, what a surprise." I say, causing her to jolt up, suddenly straightening her back. "Watch that coffee as well, wouldn't want to spill it on the carpet."

"Yes, sir!" She says rather forcibly. Nervous, are we?

She steps aside so I can unlock my office door, which I open.

"After you."

She silently nods and enters. I move in after her and go to my desk, hitting the power button on my desktop.

"Please, have a seat."

I gesture for her to sit down across from me as I take another look at her. Dark brown-blackish hair that's about shoulder length with an even cut, pale complexion, light green eyes. She's dressed in a blouse that has some frills over the buttons, a navy blue skirt that reaches below her knees, and a thin tan coat over top of it.

"Ah, wait, where are my manners…" I mutter, standing up and giving a respectful bow. "Shino Galen, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, um…" I hear cloth shuffling as she returns it. "Bunryoku Nao. We've talked before, but this is the first time we've met in person."

I pull back and then take a seat. "You seem a bit jittery this morning. You get a good night's sleep?"

"Ah, it's just… well, um, to be honest, it's just meeting you face to face is all."

"Oh?"

She nods as she sits down. "Um, well, you kind of are a famous one, Shino-san. You're very dedicated to your work. I hope I can meet your expectations."

"Well, we wouldn't have chosen you otherwise. Anyways, I trust you've already been through the onboarding process? That's not really my department, anyways."

"Mhm." she says with a nod.

"Good. Anyways, let me walk you through how I've been doing things here."

I walk her through my general hours, how I've handled students, about the medical department, and all of that. She seems to catch on fairly quickly, adopting a more professional and friendly face by the time she recovers over the initial shock of meeting me.

Am I really that well known…? I probably should look into the articles about the time of the golem incident. I didn't have a chance to while I was seeing all the students.

"Anyways, you have the key to your office, right?"

"Yes, I already received it and start getting things ready."

"Good, good. I'll let the headmaster know that they can see you as well. I have a feeling some of the girls will be more comfortable talking to you than me."

She laughs at this, eventually stopping and flashing a knowing grin. "Hehehe, is it because you don't give them dating advice?"

"Heh. That's not my job, and besides, I'm a lousy romantic anyways. But you know how it is, sometimes it's easier to talk to someone of your own sex than it is the other." I say with a wave of my hand. "Regardless, good to have you onboard, Bunryoku-san."

"Thank you for having me. If you'll excuse me, Shino-senpai."

"Bahhh, 'san' will do. No need for formalities around me, you're not a student, after all."

With that, she gets up along with me and gives a bow—which I return—and then leaves the room. It's good to know I'll have backup from here on out. Backup I can rely on, too. I can rest a little easier, now.

The day goes by as normal. A few appointments, nothing major. It seems outside these massive events like the golem incident, the days here are mostly quiet. Hour by hour ticks by as I fill out a few more forms, check emails, and talk to a few students that come in for drop ins.

Granted, it's about to become real fiery again, considering that Bodewig is bound to show up in the next week. I really have to say I'm against the decision to put her in Class 1-1, mainly because it's _very_ evident it will cause friction between her and the younger Orimura. While my job isn't to keep the peace, it _is_ my job to ensure harm does not come to the students and putting these two together is not going to help against that. I do not believe it is healthy for either of them.

Especially because I haven't seen any documents that would indicate a change on Bodewig's part, which again, raises the question: _who the hell is picking these pilots_. Had it been any other military system I am _sure_ whoever recommended these pilots would be brought in for questioning as to why they recommended it. Everyone has their skeletons in the closet, yes, but when it's so blatantly evident that she cannot even conceal her feelings in order to accomplish a task, it would really call into question whether she could be trusted with a weapon.

There is a damn good reason that we clear people for psych evals before they head back onto the field, after all. Ugh, seriously, who the hell keeps recommending all of these pilots?

Still, this is exactly why I'm _opposed_ to them being in the same class. If Bodewig still actively hates him, not only will she fall into a loop, unless God willing, Orimura does a miracle and changes her viewpoint on something an her opinion of him changes, but until that point she will only be a taxation on him. Not to mention most of the student body look favorably on Orimura. Bodewig will likely ostracize herself, leaving her alone, which is the last thing anyone needs in high school. The loop takes off afterwards: Bodewig, feeling alone in disliking Orimura, then dislikes him even more as the world would just be wrong, she further ostracizes herself, and then it just becomes a feedback loop. If there is anything that can be done to break that, or at least potentially disrupt it, I'll obviously recommend that course of action be taken.

I don't plan on _coddling_ them, however having someone who seems to downright despise your very existence is _not_ healthy, nor is despising anyone to such a degree, either.

Unfortunately, my emails about this recommendation to separate them go… not unanswered, but they feel that way. There was no deflection of my argument other than it was a decision based on her skill level and her prior instruction from Orimura, with zero regards given to the possibility of simply transferring Orimura out. If it's about skill level, move Orimura. If it's about prior instruction, then perhaps we should give less weight to that. Prior instructors should hold little weight in this regard. There is no need to have Orimura (Chifuyu, in this case) teach Bodewig again.

Either way, I can officially say this is not on my hands anymore. I have done everything I can, detailing very specifically why they should not be in the same class together, and if he will not take action, that is no longer on me. I made my due diligence, if anything happens I will be able to argue that I did all that I could, as I have no power to actually move students to different classes.

Honestly though, it really _does_ feel like I'm a puppet on strings sometimes. For a majority of these students, the ones I would call, let us say, 'normal' cases, I'm allowed to have free reign. Their profiles, their problems, their information, all of that fits well and is something I would expect from this environment. I can do my job well and without incident.

But for a few of these… let's say, extraordinary students, that isn't the case. The more 'VIP' ones, if you will. Orimura, Bodewig, Dunoa. These are the people I should have very important information. Things I should've been given clearance for. If I didn't have clearance for them, I _should_ have been given it and filed the necessary paperwork for it long ago, as I had to do for some of the other students. Before I was fully brought on, there was a lot of paperwork on all my relevant security duties—so why wasn't I given the same treatment for these more important cases? For these students, this is where I feel like I'm groping in the dark. I don't have the information I ought to have to help them. And frankly, that should not be the case.

I was brought here to do a job, so why am I being prevented from doing it effectively for those that are designated as VIPs? I have faith in IS Academy, but sometimes it really feels like someone out there is purposely hamstringing my efforts. I know there's rumors of secret organizations and whatnot out there in the world of the IS, but I _don't care._ I am here to do my job, that is what I care about.

* * *

The next few days go by, and still nothing about the _possibility_ of moving Orimura. It really does look like Bodewig and Orimura are going to be in the same class and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. So, I decided to go for a walk and calm myself down outside.

Normally I don't get so fussed up about things like this. It's perfectly understandable to have circumstances—it happens all the time with clients. Things change, people change, that's that. You can't predict or account for everything.

But in _this_ case, it's a big red flag and no one is doing anything about it. It's honestly downright infuriating. I can understand a client not exactly being willing to go through with treatment because of stigmas, because of fears, because of a multitude of reasons. But to not even just assign a student to a different class when the signs are so blatantly obvious, to not even give at least a decent response to my recommendation? I feel like I was brought on to be a consultant and then subsequently ignored.

"You seem troubled."

I look up from the bench that overlooks the ocean and turn my head to the left.

"Franchee?" I ask, hearing the older man's voice. "Good evening."

"Something on your mind?" He asks as he sits down on the bench next to me before straightening out his suit.

I turn back to looking at the ocean, leaning back on the bench. "I suppose. Nothing I can really speak about."

"Ah, work things, I take it?"

"Yep. Not exactly things I can openly discuss, due to legal and ethical reasons."

"I see, I see. Well, I suppose it has been rather noisy, recently, haha."

I roll my eyes as I hear something crinkling. I look over and see him opening a bag of chips before continuing.

"Everything still going fine for you?" He asks, in a voice that reminds me of my father.

I give a shrug in reply. "As well as it can, I suppose. Things have gotten a bit rough, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Hoho, you sound like me during my undergrad years. Refused to do anything less than full credits a semester."

"You're insane." I mutter, causing him to laugh as he pops another chip in his mouth.

"Well, I'm working here."

We both have a laugh at that one. I suppose we both are a little screwed in the head if we're still working here. Or maybe that's just the hazard pay.

"You know, I never did get to ask you, but why here?"

"Hm?"

"You know," I say, stretching my arms. "Why IS Academy? I read up on you and asked Alicia about you as well. You could be teaching at Harvard, Princeton, any Ivy League of your choice with your background. Why IS Academy?"

He sets his chips down and takes a deep breath. Franchee seems to be in deep contemplation, as he closes his eyes and perhaps gathers his thoughts. Compared to someone like me, he has much more experience under his belt, and seems like the man who carefully thinks about his words.

"Perhaps, I would like to imagine that some of these girls can still have a normal life and that I can give them a taste of it."

"Hm?"

"Worrying about the math exam, talking to an old teacher about how things were like at the school twenty years ago, sponsoring a newly made club, that sort of thing." He says with a nod. "Coming in to talk with your teacher when you're having trouble with a class, feeling proud when you understand the material that other students are learning all around the globe. I'd like to be able to give them that. So even though someone like me should be teaching and perhaps mentoring young, brilliant minds in the fields of mathematics, I'm here because I want these girls to have something like that."

"Ah…"

"I don't let it get in the way of my teaching, but for me, young girls should not be studying to fight to the death, being prepared to die so quickly. They should be going out with friends, taking pictures with one another, worrying about the latest fashion trends, and wondering if that boy two rows back and four chairs to the right really likes them. High schoolers, not just girls, should be doing things like falling in love, having romantic comedies, stressing over tests, doing activities in clubs, and experiencing life—not preparing to end it."

"You've got a pretty rose-colored view on how high school should be."

"Well, I lived a fairly rosy high school life. It might not have been ideal, but well, I would prefer they live that life than the one of a soldier."

"You ever know soldiers?"

"Plenty of them. It's not a life that I, nor any of them, would wish upon these unsuspecting high school students. I know there's a few of them that are, as you might say 'military brats', and those I have no issue with."

I nod, knowing there are a few students that do treat this like basic training. A few of them would've been in ROTC programs had they not made it here, so I get what he's talking about.

"But it's those who don't know, and for them, I would like to give the semblance of a normal life. The way they walk, the way they talk, the way most of these girls carry themselves, they aren't like that. I do honestly fear for the first time they ever do get into a real warzone..."

"I see. Thank you for sharing that, Franchee-san."

"Just Edward will suffice."

"Then, Galen will be fine as well."

He nods, smiling. "So what about you, Galen? What brings you to IS Academy? I don't think I ever asked you."

I've answered this question to others before, but part of me urges Franchee to give him a more intimate answer. Perhaps it might be that he does know Alicia and he does come off as someone who's seen a bit.

"Well, a challenge, I suppose. I heard the rumors and wanted to push myself. I wanted to become the first person to see a class through. It didn't help they had personally sought me as well, so I felt like I should step up."

"Ahaha, so you're that kind of man, are you?"

"Clarify that statement."

He gives an enigmatic smile. "A man who can't resist a challenge, is all."

"They made it a very enticing challenge."

"Hahaha!"

I roll my eyes. "Though perhaps, after seeing all I have, I… don't think I can leave so easily. I want to see them all make it through these times. Now it's become something more of… I want to see things through."

"Ah." He gives another nod. "You've got quite a work ethic."

"Well, my mentor called my work ethic 'terrifying' at times, so that's to be expected."

Franchee has another laugh at that one before we simply watch the ocean for a few more minutes.

"Ah, it's getting late. I ought to go back to my office now." I say, standing up. "I just needed to get out for a bit, was all."

"I can imagine so, being in there all the time. I'm sure Komine-san is looking for you, too."

I simply roll my eyes and don't bother responding to the obvious bait.

"Have a good evening, Edward."

"Likewise, Galen. Take care of yourself."

I nod, departing from the older man and going back to my office, where I sit back down in my chair and look at the room. I guess in the big picture, I'm not exactly anyone important, but it doesn't mean I can't be mad when someone who might be behind the scenes is keeping me from my job.

Ha… whatever. If my recommendations will go ignored, then I will not be caught unprepared. I will not necessarily coddle them, _but_ I will not allow such a potentially destructive—and _self_ -destructive—force to go unchecked. Within my ethical and legal bounds, anyways. I refuse to be caught off guard when… _Hurricane Laura_ hits.

That's my job, after all. Speaking of which, I best set up an appointment with Orimura...

* * *

 **Wow this took way too long to get out but a combination of:**

 **Programming, internship search, moving into new apartment, final exams, final projects**

 **Proceeded to suck away all of my free time. I do have an internship this summer, BUT I'm going to see that with my not-so-ridiculous commute, if I can sneak in some writing so I can actually update more than once every three months. Seriously I used to make really good time on these things and now I don't. Blegh.**

 **Next time though: Hurricane Laura!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm on fire with these updates, wew! Typed this bad boy up pretty quickly, I'm feeling pretty good about having my spark and whatnot back. I guess having actual time to sit on the train and think about my stories is really giving me my thing back. I guess it's also the VN nearly being complete or something, or the writing I've had to read for other stuff. Back into the swing of things, I hope.**

 **Anyways as usual, REVIEW REPLY TIME, GOOOO!**

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov:** Sorry for the no replies, I was rushing since my internship was coming up, haha. Fortunately, I am back! Thanks for the wish of good luck, I'll need it. I'm glad to know you enjoyed the last chapter, as I've actually been enjoying writing for the "Bodewig Arc" as I've come to call it. I hope you enjoy this one, too. Thanks for dropping by!

 **Neovilus Alpheim:** DO NOT. TEMPT ME. WITH THAT IS PILOT SUGGESTION. XD Anyways, we will see, we will see, haha. Writing the whole thing with Bodewig has been a huge blast, so I hope it carries through when you read it. Thanks for reviewing!

 **And with that, let's get right to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11:** Mysterious Valkyrie, Part I

* * *

"So, would you like to inform me of why you did that?"

I ask this to one Bodewig Laura, who as expected, has already opened hostilities with Orimura Ichika as of three days ago, right when she arrived. In fact, there was a prior incident just earlier today, the very same one I am grilling her about now.

However, she's being incredibly difficult.

"Bodewig-kun, was I not clear about my question?"

"You were clear, sir." She replies with a small nod, keeping eye contact with me.

"Then, please answer the question."

"It was a spar. It simply escalated when all combatants were fired up."

A technically correct answer. Granted, if one actually watched the security footage in the arena, even without the audio, it was very evident that Bodewig was goading them into fighting her.

"And what do you think fired them up?"

"Being in the heat of combat can do that to pilots."

I give Bodewig a look that lets her know she's not fooling anyone. The truth is all of these questions are just so I can form a baseline. In the previous interviews that I've analyzed, the ones that I was sent, she seems very, very professional. Does exactly as expected.

But because this deals with Orimura, she plays by different rules. However much she despises him is enough to get her to change her behavior entirely.

"And why do you think Orimura—" I note the twitches on her face. Aggression, annoyance, anger. "—broke through the arena wall if it was 'just a spar'?"

"He is a civilian. He likely saw the spar, assumed it was an actual fight to the death, and attempted to intervene."

Yet another technically correct answer.

I ask a few more questions from Bodewig before dismissing her, telling her in a very let us say, quite subtle way, that I can see through the bullshit she told me and that if she wants to play hardball, I'm more than willing to sign off on the forms to do so. The look in her eyes though, tells me she doesn't regret anything.

She then salutes and promptly leaves. A note I make is that she's very much on the masculine side of things. Has a bit of a superiority complex as well. However, it only applies to other combatants. She is, amusingly, one of the more egalitarian girls I have met at the school. I was tested earlier too, when she asked if I had worked with veterans. She has a respect for me, but once again, she plays by a different set of rules when it involves Orimura. She also doesn't wear the issued skirt, but rather what looks like oversized pants. Actually, do any of the… _special_ students that I've seen to wear the absolutely normal uniform?

As Bodewig opens the door to leave, one Orimura Chifuyu meets her on the other side. I catch a brief expression on Bodewig's face. Comfort, respect, admiration, loyalty. The kind of face when you meet your hero.

"Excuse me, Bodewig."

"Yes, Instructor!"

"It's Orimura-sensei to you."

With a sharp salute and quick movement afterwards, one that was practically begging for acknowledgement, Bodewig then departs. Orimura closes the door behind her as she moves into the room.

"You wanted to see me?"

"It was only natural. Please, have a seat. Water, tea, can I get anything for you?"

"I'm fine, thanks for the offer." She says as she walks to my desk and has a seat opposite from me. "This is about Bodewig's incident earlier, isn't it?"

"Indeed. I have a lot of questions to ask about Bodewig, so I'd like for you to answer them as best as you can. You might be able to offer some further insight into these events."

Orimura tilts her head at me. "I thought I've told you already about how Bodewig thinks and a bit of her background."

"You have, but I need more. I've gained some insight into the rules that govern her, but I need more information."

"You have her records, don't you?"

I raise an eyebrow at Orimura.

"Do you not want to answer any questions? This is completely voluntary, you know."

"I'm here, right?"

"I suppose so." I say with a neutral tone. "I'll be frank though, Orimura. I need more. A lot more. And I've read enough to know that you were heavily involved with Bodewig in the past."

"And…?"

"I want you to tell me as much as you can. If I need a security clearance, you tell me, and then I will see why I wasn't given clearance to know about things. Things that would be pertinent to Bodewig's situation. I might not be allowed to know what projects she was involved in, what she's fought, but I just need to have an idea of her upbringing, her environment, I need to know _why_ Bodewig utterly despises your brother because frankly whatever records Germany sent are insulting in terms of their actual content.

"If she has had therapy, I need you to tell me, and I need you to tell me who I get in touch with as well. My job is to keep everyone at this academy safe by monitoring their mental health and providing counseling. I cannot do that effectively if I do not have all the information that is relevant. Am I clear, Orimura?"

"Crystal clear."

I take a deep breath and calm myself down. Geez, I got kind of heated there.

Regardless, Orimura walks me through things.

Bodewig was raised as a soldier. I'm not allowed to know anything more than that. It makes me lament the fact that this is completely fine now in terms of culture. To think that we once condemned child soldiers and you'd have tragic tales about them… and now here we are, in a high school setting, where we are training people for war. And to think Bodewig was raised as one even before high school.

Orimura does inform me that I myself will not get the clearance for it. The headmaster would have to go and request it from Germany on my behalf. It will likely take time. However, I'm sure I can pressure the headmaster, especially after this latest incident, to tell Germany to hurry it up.

At no point does it seem like Bodewig had any semblance of a normal life. When I ask Orimura about her habits of leave, Orimura said she can't disclose that to me. When I ask about therapy, she says Bodewig got "the same treatment as everyone else" as far as she knew.

I also get a deeper understanding on how Bodewig views her. It's practically worship. However, it is… negatively done, I suppose. The way Orimura describes it, it sounds more like Bodewig worships "the warrior" Orimura Chifuyu, not "the person" Orimura Chifuyu. She's removed part of what makes Orimura well, Orimura, and chooses to focus on that part in particular.

"I don't know it myself, but the day I mentioned my brother around her, things changed."

"...not before?"

Orimura shakes her head 'no'.

"I see."

Interesting… I think I might have a better idea of what makes Bodewig tick, then. A great dislike for anything that isn't part of "the warrior", but part of "the person". I see.

Either way, this is a right mess, really. I can't believe they're sending these kinds of kids to pilot war machines.

"Orimura-san, one last thing before you go." I say as she gets up from her chair.

"Hm? What is it, Shino-san?"

"Would you be willing to recommend to the headmaster that I get a security clearance for Bodewig, or at least have _more_ than what I have right now?"

I see her close her eyes and consider things for a second.

"...I would."

"Alright. I'll send him an email later asking about it and CC you on it, too."

"Understood. Anything else?"

"Nothing else for now. I'll be in touch if that changes."

"Got it. Have a good evening, Shino-san."

"You too."

When she closes the door on her way out, I let out a deep sigh. This all could have been avoided. That's the worst part of it, really. Why no one picked up on her complexes, her Orimura worship, and tried to either reel it in or at least alert someone about it… you've got to be kidding me.

That's whole absurdity of it all, really. So much of this could have been prevented. Additionally, why we had to put them in the same class and light the fuse to the powder keg, I don't know.

At the very least, Orimura seems to have a fellow guy to back him up. I'm glad to know that those two are getting along just fine. Maybe I should pair my request for info on Bodewig with some on Dunoa. It's honestly those two that have a sheer _lack_ of information to read on.

What else could I be missing… well, there is that difference in Bodewig's view of Orimura. Ichika would be a… divergence point. I remember seeing it before, on the first day. Orimura does have a soft spot for her brother. No doubt that would cause a dissonance in what Bodewig believes Orimura is versus what she actually is. And nothing must be allowed to stain the vision of her perfected 'goddess' if we were to put it that way.

I suppose that simply put, Orimura Ichika represents an unwanted blemish on "The Warrior" Orimura Chifuyu in Bodewig's eyes. It's unlikely I'll be able to administer treatment though, not without substantial effort. It's deeply ingrained in her. It's very easy to tell, after all.

Bodewig strikes me as a professional, her body language and mannerisms when not dealing with students or Orimura show that. I talked to the other teachers in preparation for her appointment and she was nothing short of punctual, professional, and courteous. It's likely that she understands the command hierarchy here.

However, involve Orimura, and things change. She's willing to go against what might be her training and her professionalism because of this burning grudge. If everyone has something they're willing to betray everything for, Orimura Ichika would be that for Bodewig. A deep, burning, destructive despisement—one saved for your enemies. If only it had been caught earlier…

* * *

A few days later, I get a call to report to the headmaster's office. I don't recall having done anything wrong, so I'm not concerned too much.

When I arrive, he's sitting there at his desk, and a blue haired… young woman, teenager? I don't know. But her hair is short, blue (because normal hair colors don't exist or something), and she's wearing a simple black and white jacket-skirt combo, although her leggings are a dark red.

"This is Operative Katana—"

I don't think we could have gotten any edgier with the nicknames unless we called her 'Shadow'.

"—she'll be escorting you to Germany." He says as she bows deeply, although I caught the brief smile on her face.

"...Germany, sir?"

"They refused to send the documents you requested over, but they are allowing you to come over and view them, along with interviewing Bodewig's old company. Due to the delicate nature of this, however, they want you personally there. Fortunately, Orimira Chifuyu's recommendation was useful in securing this deal."

"I see. I assume your… _operative_ is allowed to know this?"

"She is."

"I see."

"For security reasons, please just refer to her at 'Kat', or 'Katana' if you prefer. Whichever one makes you more comfortable."

"Understood. Am I departing immediately?"

"Please be ready to go in two days. Report here at eight AM, and we'll go from there."

"Got it, sir. I'll be there."

The two days quickly come and go, and like clockwork I'm there with a small suitcase of spare clothing. My contact person is one Lieutenant Clarissa Harfouch, apparently Laura's direct co-commander, who will meet me at the airport and then from there, we will head over to an undisclosed location. Operative Katana (wow, that feels _incredibly_ silly to say) has already been cleared, which makes me wonder who the hell she is.

Rather than take the tram, we get to the airport _via helicopter_ , because yes, apparently this school has a helipad and a private helicopter, and also a _private jet_ at the airport. This is ridiculous. I remember taking a normal plane when I was on vacation, but then again I wasn't exactly well-known yet, nor was I on official business.

Regardless, something rubs me wrong about this… _Operative Katana_. If I was going straight to meet with Germany, do I really need a bodyguard…? Let alone a bodyguard that has _clearance to know about this?_ It's strange.

Are they… expecting something to happen? I probably should have been told, if that's the case. But maybe IS Academy is just having her come along as insurance.

"Don't worry, Shino-hakase, you'll be fine."

"I'm not worried about that." I mutter, leaning back in the leather seat. "It's just a little strange, is all."

I'm really more surprised that Germany said _yes_. Something about this is just strange. Like I'm just a pawn in a really big game. That itself doesn't annoy me, so much as… not being able to just help people.

"Hmhm. But you know, Shino-hakase, it does sound like you've overreached quite a bit."

"Is that a warning?"

"Sort of." She offers me an enigmatic smile. I detect playfulness, a bit of smugness, by her microexpresions. "You know how it is. Tall poppy syndrome."

I snort in reply.

But either way, it feels now that she's less of a bodyguard as she is a… watchdog. I don't know how those posted at IS Academy before did things, but it seems like I've taken it in a new direction. I suppose the Academy might take a bit of interest in my actions.

The rest of the trip is pleasant, if not accompanied also by a pit settling in my stomach. This 'Katana' has me thoroughly disturbed. She's playful, too playful. Her mannerisms also give the distinct feeling of 'looking down on'. It's similar to Bodewig towards talking about combatants. But in this case, 'Katana' keeps it towards everyone.

Fortunately, my nap was perfectly fine. As far as I'm aware, I haven't been tampered with.

After we touch down, I leave the plane. The afternoon sun greets us and at the bottom of the stairs are two women. Both of which are dressed in office-like black garb and with an eyepatch over their left eye. One of them has long, blonde hair, the other with shorter, navy-blue (okay seriously, what is with the blue hair) hair. The latter of the two calls out as I walk down the stairs.

"Galen Shino?"

I fish out my ID and my passport. "Ah, right, name ordering. Yes, that's me."

"Clarissa Harfouch."

I offer her my hand and she takes it, giving it a firm shake. Feels just about right in grip strength as I anticipate from military at this point. "Thank you for having me, Lieutenant."

"This is…" She says, gesturing behind me.

"Ah, Operative… _Katana_ , yes, as I was informed by IS Academy. Posted to be my bodyguard."

"I see." Clarissa nods, then turns to her associate. "Lisa, accompany her, would you? Doctor Shino, we'll talk in the car."

Katana is brought to a different car than me, though hers will be right behind ours in terms of the convoy. All of them look the same: sleek, black, unmarked cars, meant for housing four people or so. Clarissa and I are alone in our car, as she is driving, having lifted her eyepatch to do so.

"I didn't expect Germany to say 'yes' to all of this." I say as we take the third position in the lineup of seven cars.

"You might say that we put a bit of pressure on them, considering how it involves one of us. We look out for our own, Doctor Shino."

"Anything you can tell me for now, while we're on the way?"

"Nothing much. I'd prefer to be on base while we talk. But… I suppose I could say that I am glad someone is at least taking this much care for Bodewig. Just try not to tick off the German government too much, eh?"

"Didn't plan on doing any more than I've already done."

She has a brief chuckle at this before resuming her drive.

The rest of the drive is just small talk, mostly. Both of us just putting up that small farce of being friendly, even though the both of us know that we're not here to chitchat. As soon as we're cleared for entry, Clarissa brings me to a conference room.

"Excuse me." Katana says, attempting to get into the room.

"You don't need to be here." Clarissa and I say together (surprisingly).

"As much as I respect your mission and objective, please understand that your presence there may affect what the Lieutenant is and is not allowed to say." I say, very calmly and arguing with logic. "I need to be able to understand the entirety of the situation. If you are there and that causes me to miss something, that would limit my capabilities."

"Yes, exactly as Doctor Shino said. He has been cleared, you, not necessarily."

She gives us both a look, wondering if perhaps, we had discussed this in the car ride. She simply nods and steps off to the side. Clarissa and I enter the conference room, with it being sealed behind us.

"Fancy sliding door for a conference room."

"We like to be secure here. Anyways, please have a seat."

I down on the left side of the table. Clarissa sits directly across from me, taking out a laptop and connecting it to the display at the front as I take out a notepad.

"Alright, what would you like to know?"

"First, arguably the most important thing—I need to know what exactly the relationship Orimura and Bodewig had."

"Well, no doubt you've already seen her worship of her."

"I'm familiar with that."

"It was slightly worrying, but it seemed for the positive. Bodewig's performance efficiency skyrocketed, likely a combination of Orimura's instruction and also an attempt to follow her."

"I see."

"Outside of that it was a very strict and professional relationship. Orimura was her instructor and trainer just like everyone else. I believe Bodewig wanted to know more about her, but Orimura kept her distance."

"Did you ever observe any animosity whenever Orimura Ichika was brought up before it became obvious?"

Clarissa shakes her head. "Orimura never talked about it, or if she did the occasion was so rare that it doesn't come to mind. I think that no one wanted to ask about it simply because well, you know what happened."

The kidnapping. Right.

I nod, putting a hand to my chin. "Alright. What about to others? Has she had any streaks with other service members, any incidents at all before this?"

"Heavens, no. But that might be due to her insulation. You could say that I'm the one who normally deals with the brass and other branches. But I've never heard anything negative about when she has to deal with any other servicemen or any dignitaries."

"Are we talking about officers or are we talking about say, enlisted privates?"

"Officers. She doesn't have a lot of experience in integrated units. You could say we're a bit of a standalone, if you will."

I see. That explains how Bodewig's almost superiority complex was developed. She hasn't had a lot of experience outside her own forces. They're likely all as good as she is. She comes out, an actual soldier, observes her 'peers' as being below her, and so she treats them like dirt.

"Can I ask why you wanted to know?"

"Related to the incident, is all."

"Mhm."

We go through a few more questions, allowing me to get a greater scope on the mystery that is Laura Bodewig. I'm able to piece more and more things together with the help of the documents, which even if I'm allowed to see, are mostly redacted.

Why she is the way she is, it's becoming clear. Though, something that continues to elude me is why Bodewig has a clear distinction between "The Warrior" Chifuyu Orimura and "The Person" Chifuyu Orimura. I need to figure out the reason about why Bodewig has even made this distinction.

"Clarissa, one, perhaps final question."

"Go ahead."

"I want to know about Bodewig's combat operations. More specifically, I want any operation where she has come back either shaken or potentially needed more than normal counseling. Or any incident, not necessarily an operation. Anything that would likely go against what most people consider normal. Something that would cause a potential crisis in her that would instantiate the void in her that Orimura filled."

I see her face tense up. She knows something. There's something. There has to be something.

"I am not… permitted to tell you about it." She says, very, very calmly. I can see the conflict on her face. My reputation, my drive, it's all known—she knows that whatever happened, _I_ could be the one person to help Bodewig.

"Please." I say, not just for Bodewig, but also for myself.

A look of resignation comes onto her face. "I can't. I'm sorry. I know you could honestly help, Doctor Shino. You honestly have no idea how much I wish I could tell you."

"Then, what _can_ you tell me?"

"There was an incident that drives her to… seek strength. After it, she wanted to be able to discard any weakness from herself."

I try to put the pieces together in my head. This incident… something about it, Bodewig wasn't 'strong' enough. Or perhaps maybe 'cold' enough depending on the full context. In Chifuyu, she saw someone cold, ruthless, distant—and a fierce warrior. Bodewig idolizes her. She's everything she couldn't be that day.

...and when Chifuyu shows a side of weakness towards her, it screws with her. The goddess has shattered the pedestal. So Bodewig rejects it. There isn't "Chifuyu Orimura". There is "The Warrior, Chifuyu Orimura" and "The Person, Chifuyu Orimura". Just pretend the second one doesn't exist. Everything will be fine. But Orimura Ichika is a threat to that. He is that which she cannot deny, cannot make go away. And for that, he is a grim reminder that "The Person, Chifuyu Orimura" exists. That her goddess is a human.

"I want… to know who was in charge of her psych eval."

"I can't give you that information." Clarissa says, though I can hear the empathy in her voice. I can feel my veins starting to heat up. So much of this could have been avoided.

 _If only someone had given a damn._

If only someone had given a damn about this group. I could see it around the place. Most of them are probably Bodewig's age, give or take a few years. Any of them could have turned out to be like Bodewig. Whoever was in charge back then should at least be punched in the face. How could they not have caught it?

Stop, I tell myself. Stop right now. Take a deep breath. Calm yourself. You can't get emotional. It will interfere with your ability to work. You won't be able to remain impartial like this.

This was a mistake. You know that you have a history and a potential soft spot for veterans. You should have sent Bunryoku. She could have gotten the information while feeling only the general amount of sympathy that anyone would feel. She wouldn't have gotten so worked up about it. She wouldn't have gotten angry. She wouldn't have asked to know the name of the person in charge back then like they were going to hunt them down. She would have accepted that Clarissa couldn't tell, pushed a bit, and then left it like that. Not like this.

Logic will get thrown out the window if you keep going down this path. You have to remain fair, balanced, and impartial to any student, Galen. This entire thing is because Germany didn't want to play nice. You aren't here to save Laura. You chose this path.

Just like how you weren't sent to save Rashein, you chose to—

"—tor Shino?"

I'm brought back to my senses by Clarissa calling out.

"S… sorry. I just had a brief epiphany as I put things together." I mutter, hoping Clarissa buys it. "That's all. I think I have everything I need."

"I see. Would you like to interview any of her squad members?"

"It might help, so yes."

"Alright. I'll have them come in, one at a time. They're just on standby, after all."

Clarissa directs them in and I talk to each one, but they only add supplementary details. Clarrisa's talk was far more revealing and held all the keys. Their testimonies only serve to help further what she's told me.

And so, I come ever closer to understanding the true mystery of Laura Bodewig. There's a lot hidden, though, but… I do know enough.

"That's the last one."

"I see." I say, getting up from my chair. "Thank you for having me."

"Well, orders are orders." She says with a small chuckle. "Anyways, you're still scheduled to be here for another two days, yes?"

"It was just to have some extra time if something came up, so yes."

"I see. Well, we have made room for you on the premises. I'll escort you and your guard over there. Unfortunately, your interviews went a little well past our normal eating times, but I have asked them to set aside some food for you."

"Thank you." I say with a nod as I begin following her, Operative Katana following behind us.

"Unfortunately we're a little far out from any of the cities, but there is a small town not far from here. If you'd like to go there, I can show you around."

"I believe that may constitute a conflict of interest, so ethically speaking, I must decline. Well, I suppose technically speaking, it is not, however it is the general appearance."

"Ah, I understand. My apologies."

"No, but I appreciate the offer. Perhaps when I am not on official business."

"Oh, how, as they say, smooth of you. Would you like my number then, Doctor Shino?"

I give a snort, with Clarissa laughing as we go. "But I suppose that being taken there shouldn't be a lot of trouble. I'll do the exploring myself."

"Along with me, I take it?" Operative Katana asks from the background.

"Yes, yes."

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Doctor Shino, but IS Academy would simply dislike to lose you."

"I get it, I get it. Don't apologize for doing your job."

Clarissa talks next. "Ah, right, yes, I should perhaps ask—would you prefer to have your guard in another room? That is the set up we prepared, so—"

"Yes, that will be fine."

"No, I will stay with him."

I take a look at my bodyguard and give a "are you kidding me right now" look. She only smiles and shrugs. A very teasing smile. A _dangerous_ smile.

"It's up to you, Doctor Shino."

I give a sigh, shaking my head. "Fine, whatever. Same room. If it's not too much trouble."

"My apologies, Doctor Shino. But responding to any possible threat as soon as possible is of the highest importance."

I just sigh once again. "I know. Sorry about the sudden change, Lieutenant Harfouch. I did not expect all of this."

"It's fine. We did have both prepared as you were coming over, just in case."

The rooms she shows us to is a very simple one. Two beds along the wall to the right. There's a bathroom, small kitchenette, and a TV. Sort of like a small hotel room.

Clarissa leaves us and I notice our suitcases have already been moved in here. Honestly…

"Well, whatever I guess. Do what you want, as long as it's not bothering me, I won't mind. It's been a long day, anyways. I'm taking a shower and then sleeping."

"Understood. Good night, Doctor Shino."

I mutter a thanks under my breath and go do my nightly routine.

As I try to get to sleep, I remind myself why I'm here and what my role is. I'm not some savior, I'm not someone who's come down to save Bodewig. I'm here to learn why she did what she did because Germany's been a pain in the ass about it, understand her, and learn how to treat her as is my duty as a doctor and a hired one at that for IS Academy, in order to prevent further risk and harm to the staff and students of IS Academy.

Nothing more, nothing less.

And I would do damn well to remember that.

* * *

 **Wew, I was on** _ **fire**_ **with this chapter, even if it was short. I kind of cut it off because I thought that if I included all the stuff I wanted to next chapter, then it would be really long (and there weren't really any good break up points in the next part, or so I thought). Kind of sucks to have a whole arc in a single chapter, so I felt it was better to break it up. Wrote this chapter in about a day and a half, though. Probably because this was one of Galen's more humanizing chapters. I've written him annoyed, written him stressed, etc., but this is the first time I've written him actually getting legitimately angry to the point he has to tell himself he's doing something wrong.**

 **I decided to skip Bodewig's introduction since I felt it was a good cutting point. No need to go over everything that happens in the original, I only had to get to the part that was necessary, hence the jump to Bodewig already in his office as he asks about why the hell she did what she did.**

 **Also we do have an early bird cameo by Tatenashi, sneaky sneaky. There's a lot shaping up around Galen, but he does seem mostly unaware of it. This was originally planned to be just a normal, very easy-going story but as I keep writing and thinking what to do once I hit the point where Season 2 picks up alongside where the novels go, I realize that it's inevitably going to take a different direction. Of course, you won't see anything like Galen becoming an IS pilot. That would just be silly and to be honest, wouldn't be any fun to write. Half the fun of this story is that it deals with all the normal folks, everyone who isn't a pilot or really ingrained in the IS world. Just people trying to get by and live their lives.**

 **But yes, I liked this chapter, it was very humanizing to Galen. Sort of shows his weakness, like, not just a joking one like being a workaholic or his insane work ethic being potentially self-destructive with how much he gives up for his job. Rather, an actual moment of near-failure for him as his professionalism almost gives way to anger at how Bodewig's situation was handled, to the point he has to remind himself of what his role in everything is. I really liked writing that segment, probably my favorite part of this chapter.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for taking so long to get this out, but between internship (even with writing on the train), moving back to school, and senior level courses, it was waaaaay too much. Fortunately I managed to get back on track!**

 **Also it kind of just slipped my mind, oof. Job searching is really cutting into my time. I think I'd like to hit the Silvero Gospel incident by the end of the year, though. So let's see if I can hit that.**

 **Anyways, short chapter today. I was pretty conflicted about this chapter as I've seen that the story is going to the more "dramatic" side of things when I originally intended for this to be a more light-hearted story. I'm trying to slightly course correct, but at the same time it just feels like the characterization of Galen and the incidents that happen, if I want to treat them the way a person like Galen would approach it, well, things just end up becoming serious. But first, review reply time, GOOOO!**

 **Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov:** Oh yeah, life got very busy. Moving, job search, senior level classes, ugh. I will agree that this arc is going to be messy, and I think on top of the fact the tone and direction of the story is straying a bit from where I originally intended for it to go. Thank you for being patient!

 **So yeah, we'll see how it goes. Thanks for bearing with me. Here goes!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12:** Living Pillar

* * *

The next day, Clarissa lets us go at the small town, opting for civilian clothing this time. I do find a small chocolate shop and walk around, with one of Clarissa's aides translating for me.

The chocolates I got as a souvenir were a bit pricey, but well, what can you do? Although I'm pretty sure the old lady running the place gave me a little more than I ordered.

"Do you need help with that?" her aide asks, but I wave her off.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. I have my pride as a man, after all."

Her aide chuckles at that as we step out, but she suddenly drops the laughter and looks around us. That's… a few more suits than I thought were on the street when we went into the shop.

The aide drops her voice to a whisper. "Get back into the store. Say you dropped your k—"

"Is something the matter?"

Katana steps out from the car, running a hand through her hair with a smile. She looks straight at me, then glances around.

"Oh, it's a really lively day today. Is it a day of obligation at church, you two? Everyone's so sharply dressed." Katana says in that honeyed, overly sweet tone that makes me think she's incredibly suspicious. Or at the very least, it gives that feeling that she's looking down on everything around her.

But just like that, the suits start going away. As if in a panic, they quickly start loading into cars and leave. What… the hell…?

"Ma'am?" Our aide says, appearing talking into an earpiece. "Got it. Doctor, please come with me into the car. We'll be making a short detour."

Said detour is to a different hotel, which from what I heard on their chatter in the car, was designated as Rally Point Charlie. Don't really know if I like where this is going, but what can I do…

More importantly, who the hell were those suits? Germany, possibly? But what good does it do to try to intimidate me? I haven't uncovered anything crazy, and it would just cause a massive uproar if they did try anything. It's a completely illogical course of action.

"Sorry for the unexpected delay." Clarissa says as she enters the bedroom. "If it helps, I will personally watch guard tonight, alongside my squad."

"It's fine. I don't think I'm in too much danger. Do you have any idea who they were?"

She shakes her head. Either she really doesn't know, or simply can't tell me. Or doesn't want to tell me. Frankly it would've been better that I didn't see them, but my eyes are too trained for detail.

"We'll take you straight to the airport when you're supposed to leave."

"Not tonight?"

"The rest of the guard is going to come in during the night. If there's something out there that wants you, Doctor Shino, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure they do not get to you. If that means pulling out all the stops, then it's going to take some time. Unless you can call in and get your plane ready to go."

"I don't think that's an option for me, unfortunately. I don't think they thought of this…"

"It shouldn't be a problem." Katana says as she pokes in from the living room. "I have an emergency line to IS Academy. Don't worry about it. We'll prepare for an extraction to the airport at nine-hundred-hours?"

Clarissa and I glance at each other. First off, why the hell does my bodyguard have a line to IS Academy, and second why don't _I_ have an emergency line there? Like I said before, sometimes it feels that she's less bodyguard, more watchdog.

"Is that fine with you, Doctor Shino?" Clarissa asks, turning over to me. I give a curt nod in reply. "Then I'll inform my team. I'll discuss movement and everything with them, just stay relaxed. If you need anything, either I or one of my aides will get it for you."

"Understood."

Part of me wishes I hadn't taken this job now. Back when I was just a small-time friendly face with a bit of good standing in the community. Now I'm apparently this hot button topic and have suits that look like they're the MIB coming after me.

I really do miss the older days, back when I was just another therapist who wasn't supposed to last three months before going insane from the Academy shenanigans.

The rest of the evening is uneventful. Clarissa goes to get us McDonalds, because honestly I didn't want anything fancy, and right now I just needed something to remind me of home to calm me the hell down. She also decided to go the extra mile, and even though I didn't ask for it, brought up a large black coffee for me. Apparently my reputation also includes me being a caffeine fiend.

She managed to get Katana from my bedroom, and honestly I'd rather have Clarissa as my personal guard as she doesn't have that… suffocating air that Katana has, although in exchange for this Clarissa's now taking the other bed in the bedroom.

Speaking of which, her singing is echoing in the shower. She's got a good voice. Song's in German though, so hell if I know what she's saying.

"You sing when you were young?" I ask as she comes out of the shower, drying her hair. Of course, she's not dressed in any pajamas or anything, but rather in what I'm sure is a BDU or something like it.

Her face turns a bit pink before she smiles, going over to a suitcase she brought with her and opening it, attaching what looks to be an integrated screen or some other attachment onto her left wrist.

"When I was very young, yes. It feels like a lifetime ago."

I immediately see the small hints on her face, almost involuntarily. Nostalgia, longing, the feeling of a missed opportunity. I can see the wonder on her face, as if to ask herself if this was the path she should've taken. That maybe instead of becoming a soldier, she could have become a celebrity singer.

"I see." I say, deciding not to make any comment. "Well, I for one, am thankful that you're here."

"I suppose nothing gets by you, does it, Doctor Shino?" She asks, a knowing smile on her face. She knows that I'm able to read her, I suppose.

"Well, that's why they pay me for."

We both have a chuckle about it.

"But I suppose it's a bit fortunate… what happened here." She says as she sits down on her bed. "I can speak… slightly more freely."

"What do you mean…?" I ask, trying to read her intentionally this time.

"Doctor Shino, there's a special clause in the IS Academy handbook. In it, it essentially states that students there don't belong to any particular country. A sort of immunity, if you will."

"Why are you…"

"You'd be putting yourself in a risky position, but… I would just review if there are special allocations for yourself."

The small twitches of muscles on her face. Hesitation, the feeling of not knowing if she's doing the right thing, but also concern. What is...

The pieces fall into place inside my head.

Clarissa Harfouch cannot tell me what happened with Laura Bodewig because she herself is bound to Germany and she'd potentially have action taken against her if she were to say anything. Speaking here, where it might not be as heavily watched… she can give the implications for it. About that special clause in the handbook.

Because if Clarissa cannot tell me…

...maybe Bodewig can. If she would open up about it, it's entirely possible. But that means Bodewig opening up in the first place. If a miracle can occur somehow… then maybe I might be able to understand her, and really give her what she needs.

"I see."

"I'm glad you do. It might get difficult for you, but…" She says, trailing off. The guilt is written all over her face. She knows that she's asking something very, very heavy of me.

"My job has never been easy to begin with." I say back, trying to sound confident. Taking on something like that, though… but still. I might be able to reach out to Bodewig, now.

"Just… don't get in over your head." She says, the worry evident in her voice. This isn't just professional in terms of intention. There's a personal aspect here, too. And she's asking me to help her, risking me biting off more than I can chew. If I mess up, it'll be on her conscience, too.

"Thanks."

"Anyways, it's been a long day. Please get some sleep, Doctor Shino. We'll be up and early tomorrow morning."

The next morning comes and goes. Clarissa and her team, in a small convoy that joins us on the road, delivers me to the airport. They deliver me onto the private jet, urging me to tell the headmaster when I arrive. Of course, for some reason I feel like I won't be getting any answers from him.

"Thank you for everything." I say to Clarissa as I seat myself. "I'll do my best to resolve this with Bodewig."

"Thank you, Doctor. I expect to hear a report from her singing your praises."

I chuckle, earning a smile from her. "You're putting a lot on me, but I suppose that's how it usually is. Take care."

"Copy that. Have a safe flight. Let me know if you're ever returning to Germany, our time was cut rather short."

"Will do."

With that, she gets off the plane and the door closes behind her. A few minutes later, we start moving. I check that my seatbelt is on and lean back in the leather chair, mentally going over all of my notes and deductions.

Clarissa did give me pretty much everything I need to know. All that's missing is the inciting incident. I need to know the root cause of why Bodewig worships the ground Orimura Chifuyu walks on. And if I can figure that out… then I will be able to help her.

"She seems like a nice woman." Katana says, though the expression on her face is anything but cheery. It seems she's contemplating something too.

"Well, business is business. Have to keep a pleasant face up. Doesn't help anyone to be a stick in the mud."

"Mhm, mhm. Well, I'm glad to know besides that bump in the road, everything went smoothly~"

"I'll save saying that for after we touch down."

"You really do like doing things completely, don't you?"

"There's no other way to live."

It's just like I said to Doctor Maltese. You can't ever really know that they're fine… up until the very end. But to ensure they've got the best chance, I have to do things completely. I can't make any assumptions.

* * *

"That's... disturbing." Kutsuwagi says as I give him the report. Due to the travel time, not just the flight time, such as the helicopter ride and driving, it's roughly noon on Saturday when I'm talking to him.

"With all due respect, Headmaster, but were you expecting something like this? If so, I'd like to be informed next time. It caused a lot of grief."

"My apologies. I suspected that there might be those that would like to come after you, but nothing so bold as in the broad daylight. I didn't want to say anything that might distract you from your work."

"Ah. Well, it's fortunate that they popped up during my free time, then. But could you possibly enlighten me on why anyone would want to come after me?"

He gives a small chuckle. "For all your smarts, things do pass over your head. I won't lie to you, you're a very sought after man. Your exploits here have certainly given you a reputation—as someone who potentially holds this academy together. Not necessarily a leader, but you are a pillar that this academy has suddenly found itself standing on."

I bite my lip, electing to remain silent. I suppose that makes sense.

"Especially with the incident a while back, it's slowly coming to light that there are those that want to do harm to the academy, or have something they want here. Perhaps they mean to kidnap you to weaken the cohesion here."

"Sir, I don't think I'm _that_ vital to the cohesion of the student body or the Academy at large."

"You'd be surprised. But it's not only the student body, but even the faculty and staff. Because of your… well, you call it insane work ethic, but others see it as sheer dedication, if anything were to happen to you, I am sure that things would certainly be shaken up."

"I have faith in the capability of the Academy to get over me."

"Long term, yes, but short term? The shakeup would be a definite blow to morale."

"So am I under house arrest, then?"

"Of course not. The Academy has put plenty into security, and we will have people posted to watch out for you. You'll be able to move about as you wish, though for any overseas travel, you should check in with me first."

"I see."

Great, so my private time isn't even really my private time anymore. This gets better and better.

"Is that everything?"

"That should be all. I haven't missed anything, have I?"

"Not in particular. The double battles between students is upcoming, though."

"Ah, I was told about those. If that's all, then I'll be going now."

"Dismissed, then. Take care."

I bow before leaving the office, walking back to my room. It really is rather disturbing. I apparently have the men in black on my case because someone wants to do something at this Academy? Scary. I knew that there were several who liked me at the Academy, especially some of the students, but I would never have described myself as central. If I had to say anything about myself I was just a small gear that kept things going.

What a mess, really.

Either way, I can begin getting to work in regards to Bodewig. All I have to do now is… convince her to tell me what's going on, I suppose. That's the really tricky part. Bodewig won't open up so easily.

In the end all I can do is wait. I shouldn't be crusading out and trying to convince them they need therapy unless they really, really need it. Bodewig does fall under there, but in her current situation, forcing it would just have the opposite effect.

I flinch as my vision goes black and I'm pulled back, hands over my eyes, with a certain sensation suddenly being pressed into my back.

"Guess who~"

"Odama-san, this is incredibly inappropriate."

"Aww, I thought my impression was spot on." She says, removing her hands from my eyes and stepping back.

"You couldn't have at least waited until I was in the staff building?" I ask, turning around to face her.

"Ooooh, so it's appropriate there?"

"Absolutely not." I say, firmness in my voice. "Were you looking for me?"

"Hm? Nope, I just saw you walking by. Are you heading back?"

"Yeah, just got back from a trip."

She starts following me as I keep walking, a smile on her face. It's a much more comfortable one compared to the one Katana had on.

"Ohh, where'd you go?"

"Not sure if I should tell you. Work related stuff."

"Ooooh, I see. Oh, oh, are you ready for the double battles?"

"I suppose so? It's going to be busy again."

"Mhm, mhm." She says, nodding to me. "You got your staff ticket already, right?"

"Yes, though I suppose I might exchange it with someone else if they want it."

"You're going to be in your office again though, right?"

"I might, I might not. Truth be told, IS battles don't exactly interest me."

"Have you watched a lot of them?"

I shake my head. "Not really. I see them on TV, but never really felt any drive to watch them in person."

"Ooooh. Well, that's how it is sometimes. Tell me if you're going, though. Maybe if you have someone who knows the ins and outs, you'll be able to appreciate them a little more."

"You know, I never did ask if you had any experience."

"Oh my, how bold~" She says with a smile, nudging me in the ribs. I only roll my eyes. "Well… I'll talk to Yamada-san from Class 1, and if she says yes, then I'll set something up."

"Er…?"

"It'll be a surprise, Shino-san. But don't tell anyone, okay?" She puts a single finger to my lips as if to make sure I understand.

I simply give her a small nod. "Alright, got it."

We silently walk down the halls afterwards, eventually heading outside.

"Hey, Odama-san." I say as we walk through the pathways, occasionally waving to passing students. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hm? Anything, Shino-san."

"Forgive me if this sounds self-aggrandizing, egocentric, or morbid, but… what do you think would happen if I were to leave?"

"Leave…?"

Odama gives me a curious look. I probably have a serious expression on my face right now. It's a question that begs an answer that feeds the ego. "Oh we'd be so devastated", "The kids would be upset", "I can't imagine things without you here". But… I want to know. I want to confirm the truth. If what the headmaster said is true, then… I have to consider it.

"You're not thinking of quitting, are you, Shino-san...!?"

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Of course not. It's just…"

"Just…?"

"Something came up, I suppose. You could say that… I was informed there's people who wouldn't want me here."

"Well… those people are stupid, Shino-san! If you weren't here anymore… I don't know if anyone could gain the same level of trust as you. You really aren't thinking of…"

"Odama-san, I swear that I won't leave and that I have absolutely zero plans of doing so. After all, I can't become the first posted therapist to see an entire class through if I leave, right?"

"You better not." She says, almost pouting. "Though… what brought that question on?"

I give her a small smile, putting a single finger to her mouth.

"It's a secret."

She gives an even bigger smile back, playfully shoving me. "Ohoho, look at _you_! I didn't think you could do something that."

I only roll my eyes, starting to walk away. "But in all seriousness, it has to deal with the trip I got back from. Keep that a secret, okay?"

"Mhm. I will, Shino-san. Though, why me?"

"Well… I suppose it just happened to be by chance. You and I aren't particularly close, but know each other well enough. I couldn't ask someone I knew better as that might bias their answer, but asking a complete stranger was out of the question as well."

She pouts. "You know Shino-san, that's where you tell a woman 'It's because I trust you'. You'd definitely be more popular with the ladies if you knew how to read the mood."

"Well, I suppose that it's a good thing I have no desire to be 'popular with the ladies', but thanks for the advice. I'm going to go rest now, I'm really exhausted from the trip."

"Hmhmm, okay~ Though if you're free this evening, we're having a small night out since we won't have to teach during the double battles."

"I'll see if I'm awake, I guess. See you later, Odama-san."

I go straight to my bedroom after that, lying down in my bed and closing my eyes. Geez, I'm getting incredibly sappy and sloppy. I shouldn't be so bothered about this… yet I still am. Then again, I don't exactly have nerves of steel. Of course being told that… there's people who don't want me here, to get to the Academy… yeah.

I groan, reaching for my phone, and dial Bunryoku.

" _Shino-san?"_

"Hey, Bunryoku-san, are you free right now?"

" _I'm actually just wrapping up some paperwork now, what do you need?"_

"Can you stop by my room whenever you're free? There was a request I wanted to make of you."

" _H-huh? Oh, sure. Oh, right, you want a briefing of everything you've missed, right?"_

"Yeah. I'm a bit tired, so I apologize…"

" _No, I understand. I'll be right over, maybe thirty minutes. That fine?"_

"Sounds good. If I don't answer, I've probably fallen asleep, so don't rush yourself."

" _Got it, I'll be right over."_

It's about twenty two minutes when I hear a knock on the door.

"Shino-san?"

I get up, walk over to the door, and open it. "Ah, Bunryoku-san. Sorry for the sudden call… please, come in."

I step aside, letting her in. She walks around and looks around the room, as if trying to see who I am just from my room.

"So, I have the report. Though I have to say, this can wait for tomorrow. You just got back, right?"

"It's fine, thank you for the report. Additionally, I thought I could talk to you about something."

"Something…?"

"It has to deal with the business trip." I say, walking over to the couch and sitting down on it, with Bunryoku closing the door behind her. "I suppose I needed to talk with you."

"Ah… Shino-san, are you perhaps asking me to counsel you?"

"I just need someone to listen, someone who I can easily argue should know about it, rather than have to sort through the paperwork of getting someone cleared lest I deal with some sort of charge or nasty repercussions."

"I see…" she says, coming over and sitting down. "Okay, I'll listen, Shino-san. Go ahead."

I skip most of the trip, but then talk to her mainly about the situation with the suits and what the headmaster told me. Bunryoku listens to all of it, paying attention the entire time, asking questions on how I felt about things going on at the time.

"And I suppose… that's where I am now."

"Geez… you really don't make this job easy on me, do you?" She asks, lightening the mood a bit. "Well, I'm glad I was here for you, and I'm glad you trust me this much."

"Well, I'm going to trust you with much bigger things than my health, so this is just par for course."

"Hehe. Though… I suppose I can see where you're coming from, when you don't trust the Academy wholly. But if you can't trust the higher ups, Shino-san, then you can trust everyone else, right?" She says, waving her hand as if to gesture to an imaginary group of faculty in the office.

"Yes, that is true." I say, folding my hands together.

"Don't be afraid to voice things with them. I don't think anyone would hold it against you if you thought something was being done wrong. As for those who might not want you here… Shino-san, I firmly believe that if the Academy views you as a pillar, then they will not let anything happen to you so easily. And… I think that perhaps, you should get a little more in touch with the students."

"Hm?"

"I know you're very well connected with them. But the way they view you is a savior like figure. Someone to run to when in danger. If you're afraid that something might happen because of something happening to _you_ , then you should work on removing yourself from such a lofty position. That you're a friend, rather than a hero."

"That's going to be a little rough."

She gives me a smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Maybe you can get a little more involved with them."

"But doesn't that just feel like a celebrity poking in at some school and reading to the kids or something?"

"Then don't make it a one time thing. Help sponsor a club, or help out a club a lot more. You know a few staff members, right? I'm sure someone could always use a helping hand."

"I suppose… but, wouldn't that be a potential conflict…? My ability to fully treat and work with them might become compromised."

"Then I'll be the person they come to. I'm willing to do that for you, Shino-san." She says with a confident nod. "So just try your best, okay? I'll even ask around for you, see if there's any clubs that could use the help."

"You don't have to… do that, you know?"

"Hehehe, well, I think I might just be a little more approachable, Shino-san. No offense intended, but… you are a little similar to Orimura-san in that regard."

Unapproachable, huh…? I can't really fight against that. Both of us have a bit of legend behind us, though the nature of said legends are quite different. A fierce warrior that no one could top. An insane man with an even more insane work ethic. But because of that, we've sort of strayed from normality.

"Shino-san?" She asks, apparently having leaned in to check on me.

I put a hand up to say that I'm fine. "Sorry, it's just… that struck a chord in me, I guess."

"I see… anything else I can do for you, then?"

I shake my head 'no'.

"Alright. Rest up then, Shino-san. If you'll excuse me."

"Ah, I'll walk you out."

She nods, walking over to the door. I open it for her and let her out.

"I'll have a list for you in two days, so just let me know which one looks interesting, and maybe I can help guide you there."

"Alright. Thanks for all the help, Bunryoku-san."

"My pleasure, Shino-san. See you around."

She gives a small, friendly wave as she leaves and I close the door behind her, locking it before retreating back to my bed. It's all just been so exhausting. Getting this one-two punch. This is way more than I thought I was supposed to handle.

Did IS Academy have students this… _eccentric_ before? I thought it was just the killer work schedule or the girls that really didn't like them trying to get rid of them or just the general stress of the environment.

But this?

This is an entirely new level of things. I never signed up for any of this, I just signed up because… I wanted to be challenged and they thought I'd be a good fit. I enjoy helping people and making sure that they're all healthy in the mind, yet… everything just feels different now.

Maybe I just need something to take my mind off of this whole mess. I need a hobby, a new hobby, anyways, something that really will take my mind off of work or this insanity in general.

As long as I don't take up smoking again, I should be fine. I already told myself I wouldn't go back to doing that.

I guess all I can do for now is rest up, wait for Bunryoku's list, and then see what I can do…

* * *

 **Very short chapter today, but that's because I felt it was a good drop off point.**

 **So, this was another serious chapter. I think I'm going to try to course correct and get back to a more jovial tone, because seriously the amount of drama so far has been way too much for a story that was so light-hearted at first. I really need to get it back on track.**

 **I thought this was a good place to set up the world at large, at all the machinations going on behind Galen's back. I knew that eventually, I'd have to deal with them, as in the later parts of IS you have full scale infiltrations and attacks on the Academy. I considered just letting Galen cruise along and deal with each one, but I think that based on his position and his actions, if the world took an interest in him, then so too would say, Phantom Task.**

 **I also think it's a good segway into a lighter part of the story, namely since Galen is being redirected to a club. I know that obviously some dramatic and darker parts have to happen, but at the same I think that all the recent chapters have been rather dreary. Giving it a bit of spice and happy sections for once might bring some life back, since I've felt highly conflicted about the direction of the story. So, we'll see how it goes. Ultimately I didn't want the story to be gritty, I wanted it to be something nice. Just a normal guy at IS Academy trying to get by, unable to fight and change the world, but just being there for the people who are. Something like that.**

 **Either way, let me know what you think. See you guys next chapter.**


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